The Children Of The Moon
by mango-melone
Summary: The Children – cats with strange gifts, powers granted by an ancient god. A kits story. But what if it's not a story at all? StarClan go missing. A small band of cats sets off to find them in a desperate bid to save their Clans, while those left behind soon learn that the Children aren't the only story to come alive. They must work together if they hope to survive what follows.
1. Prologue

**The Legend of the Children**

There are many legends about the dawn of time. Some are made up. Others are twisted so that only a tiny grain of truth remains. And others are true.

The legend of the Children is one of them.

It speaks of Tyr, and the gifts he gives to the mortals.

Tyr, or Moonstar as some call him, was a powerful tom, a warrior and a sage, a hero of countless adventures. He learned much during his travels, secrets that only StarClan knew, places that even the gods shunned. And the more he learned about the world, the more he began to doubt the gods, question there almighty power.

If there were things that were outside their control, if lower creatures could rise against them… why should _he_ fear the StarClan?

And Tyr delved deeper into his research, lost himself further and further in the deepest secrets of the earth. Back then it was filled with magic, and strange powers lied within. Tyr found them all, and took them for himself.

Soon he was the most powerful cat that had ever walked the earth. Giant wolves, fearsome lions and even great bears fled his might, and Tyr granted the cats of his homeland more protection than StarClan had ever managed.

Before long his clan mates turned away from their ancestors, who had left them alone in all those cold leaf-bares, when the wolves invaded their land and the owls stole their kits. Tyr became their new leader, god-like amongst his followers. They worshipped him as their savior, the messiah that would grant them everlasting peace.

But Tyr was a warrior; the fire of his powers burnt within him. He had travelled the world in search of fights, and fighting had made him what he was.

In the new peace, there was no place for Tyr. He became restless, and it wasn't long before the first argument broke out. It was a benign matter…a piece of freshkill, nothing more. But Tyr shattered the body of the other warrior in blazing rage.

Only then the other cats realized what his power had done to Tyr. He was no wise leader, he was neither just nor compassionate. He only knew battle.

When Tyr saw what had become of him, he was abhorred. He fled in panic and tried to fling himself off a cliff. But he had gained the power of immortality, and however hard he searched, he could not find death.

So Tyr vowed to leave this earth for good. He climbed the highest mountain of the earth and jumped up with all his strength, so high that he landed in front of the gates of StarClan. But the ancestors were angry that he had doubted their power, and they would not let him pass.

So Tyr had to turn around, trapped between the lands of the living and the gods. And this is where he still wanders, a dark star without a home. Only when one of his tears falls to the ground, one can see a fiery streak for just a heartbeat.

And to those born on such a night, Tyr gifts one of his powers, and a small piece of his soul returns to this earth – the good part as well as the bad. And these cats are the Children of the Moon.


	2. Introduction

**Introduction**

Hello and welcome to my story!

I originally uploaded this on a German site, fanfiction(.de). In case you know the language and want to read ahead, here's the link: .de/s/50cdc4500000a68306710d88/1/Die-Kinder-des-Mondes-MMFF

I originally wrote it between 2012 and 2015, and since I am currently writing a story in English, I thought translating this would be good practice. Plus, it seemed to be popular and I wanted to share it with more people ;)

This chapter is just a small introduction to the story, to clear up some confusion that might arise. If you want to just go ahead with reading, you can skip this one (or come back later when you actually _have_ questions)

.

For starters, here's a more complete summary:

It focuses on two Clans and a group of strays in which some cats are suddenly gifted strange powers, _gifts_ that have been told about in stories. Those powers don't just do good, but are also used by evil beings that want to tear down StarClan.

The cats send off a group of Children of the Moon, as those gifted are called, to stop the evil lurking in an ancient mountain and save StarClan. Meanwhile the evil hand is already stretching out to the Clans, and soon even those left behind will have no choice but fight – and accept unwanted allies.

Despite the strong fantasy element the focus will stay on the Clan politics and society, not the powers. There'll bepower struggles, berayals, plenty of secrets...It is a 'real' Warriors story, just with some added stuff.

.

About the geography:

The Clans' territory is at the foot of the mountains, to the south of them. Directly south of them is EarthClan's dense forest. Their camp is in a cave. South of them lives ReedClan, whose territory consists of meadows full of streams and pools. Their camp is inside a hollow surrounded by reeds.

To the east of the Clan's territory is a steep ravine, with a river flowing through the valley from north to south. The stray cats live here. They have no real order, but still have three leaders, so called 'Thanes'. The first Thane is elected once every year, the second Thane is decided through battle, and the third Thane is the oldest cat in the group.

At the north end of the valley a waterfall comes down, the holy site of StarClan, and at the south end there is a high rock that the Clans use for their gatherings.

.

About the mythology:

Most of it will be explored through the story, and I don't really want to spoil it here. The short form is: There was a cat once called Tyr (Or Moonstar) who was very powerful. He turned away from StarClan but later regretted it. Some of his followers (the cats) returned to StarClan, others (the wights) did not. There was a war between them, StarClan won, and the wights were banished. Tyr's powers vanished.

.

One other thing:

This story was originally done with characters the readers sent me (most of them, anyway). As it is already written and I have no desire to force new characters into the old roles, I will stick with those characters (although I did change a few names where the literal translation wouldn't work – Ravenclaw, for example, just didn't seem right, seeing as the cat in question wasn't even especially bright)

I will credit the original inventors at the end of the Allegiance, just in case you're wondering what those names mean.

.

If there's any other questions just ask and I'll answer them directly or update this chapter.

As usual, reviews are welcome but not mandatory, and I'm very happy about (constructive) criticism, both in terms of story and language.

And, of course, the Warriors world isn't mine but Erin Hunter's.

Now, enough talking, and time to get back to the story!


	3. Allegiances

**Allegiances**

.

 **EarthClan**

 **Leader**

Ashstar – dark grey, almost black tom with green eyes

 **Deputy**

Flintstrike – black tom with white paws and chest, dark blue eyes

 **Healer**

Honeypool – small, yellow-golden she-cat with dark brown stripes and dark blue eyes

 **Warriors**

Desertstorm – muscular light brown and sand tabby tom with longish fur and amber eyes

Boldheart – big orange tom with white paws and green eyes, mentor of Dapplepaw

Echoflight – slender black she-cat with pretty, dark blue eyes

Lightfur – white she-cat with light blue eyes

Shadowfang – muscular dark red tom with black paws and eyes, mentor of Barkpaw

Timberpelt – slender black tom with blue eyes, mentor of Schadepaw

Spiderfur – slender black she-cat with yellow eyes, mentor of Mistpaw

Dewfeather – white she-cat with a golden tail tip and blue eyes, mentor of Hollypaw

Frostspark – small silver she-cat with icy blue eyes

 **Apprentices**

Emberpaw– pretty orange tabby she-cat with green eyes

Barkpaw – strong dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes, has a scar across his nose

Shadepaw – small black she-cat with one white front paw and amber eyes

Hollypaw – small black she-cat with one white front paw and green eyes

Mistpaw – lean light grey tom with a torn ear and blue-grey eyes

Dapplepaw – slender golden she-cat with white spotted legs and tail tip, dark blue eyes

 **Queens**

Nightfrost – slender black she-cat with white chest and light blue eyes, mother of

Rosekit – light red tabby she-cat with white paws and amber eyes

Cloudkit – fluffy greyish white she-cat with light green eyes

Dark-kit – dark grey, almost black tom with light blue eyes

Sparrowkit – orange-golden tom with amber eyes, blind

 **Elders**

Pineheart – tall, golden brown tabby with dark paws, a torn ear and green eyes

Foxpelt – light red tom with a white chest and blue eyes

Raincloud – formerly pretty black-grey she-cat with smokey blue eyes

.

.

 **ReedClan**

 **Leader**

Icestar – muscular white tom with light grey paws and ears and dark blue eyes

 **Deputy**

Lionblaze – sturdy golden tom with thick neck fur and pale red markings, amber eyes

 **Healer**

Shimmerfur – silver white she-cat with white nose and light green eyes

 **Warriors**

Sandwhisker – sand-coloured tabby tom with yellow eyes, mentor of Darkpaw

Bearfang – massive dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

Windflight – brown tabby tom with white chest, muzze, paws and tail tip, amber eyes, mentor of Whisperpaw

Redstripe – red tabby tom with light brown belly and amber eyes, mentor of Oakpaw

Nightcatcher – quick black she-cast with a bushy tail and dark green eyes

Smokeheart – small black she-cast with a white patch on her chest and white tail tip, Blackear – dark grey she-cat with black ears and paws, green eyes

Willowflower – pale grey tabby she-cat with blue eyes

green eyes, mentor of Larchpaw

Duskstrike – tall russet she-cast with one icy blue and one dark blue eye

Owlfeather – silver tom with dark stripes and yellow eyes

 **Apprentices**

Sorrelpaw – long-legged white she-cat with silver striped legs and ears, light green eyes

Whisperpaw – golden and brown dappled she-cast with pale amber eyes

Darkpaw – ash grey tom with dark chest and belly and green eyes, has a long scar on his face

Oakpaw – slender dark brown tabby she-cast with a white chest and green eyes

Larchpaw – dark brown she-cat with a white belly and green eyes

 **Queens**

Goldberry – fluffy white she-cat with light and dark brown spots and yellow yes, mother of

Falconkit – tall dark brown tom with lighter stripes and icy blue eyes

Heatherkit – sandy-brown-golden tabby she-cast with icey blue eyes, blind on one eye

Dawnstreak – brown she-cat with red paws and tail and green eyes, mother of Bearfang's kits

Firekit – red tom with yellow eyes

Badgerkit – small black tom with green eyes

Fernkit – brown tabby she-cat with lighter belly and green eyes

 **Elders**

Ravenwing – thickset black tom with lame hind leg and green eyes

Frostpelt – white she-cat with green eyes and a torn ear

.

.

 **Strays**

 **First Thane**

Destiny – small, gaunt she-cat with a thick black pelt, one white ear and red eyes

 **Second Thane**

Splinter – slender, light brown tabby cat with a few white stripes and dark green eyes

 **Third Thane**

Drivel – ancient tom with shabby grey and white dappled fur, runny nose and watery green eyes (one of them blind), hears very badly

 **Cats**

Dark – tall brown tom with black paws and blue eyes, doesn't speak

Linus – slender golden tabby tom with a white chest and yellow eyes, has a scar on his chest

Reed – tall tortoiseshell she-cat with a white belly and green eyes, mother of Linus' kits Hagen, Gaia, Pixie and Wolf

Smiler – small sandy tom with scarred fur and light green eyes

Chase – tall grey-brown tom with amber eyes and a black collar

Dmitri – white tom with light brown patches and blue eyes

Cassandra "Foxface" – long-legged she-cat with short, dark red fur and a narrow face, green eyes

Elektra – lean dark red she-cat with a white tail and dark green eyes

Hagen – tall white tom with a golden back and green eyes

Laila – sandy she-cat with a white belly and green eyes

Dizzy (apprentice age) – small white she-cat with thick fur and small paws, yellow eyes

Faye (apprentice age) – black she-cat with a white muzzle, chest and front paws and a rear in her left ear, yellow eyes

Gaia (kit) – tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes

Pixie (kit) – golden she-cat with green eyes

Wolf (kit) – white tom with brown paws and tail, yellow eyes

.

.

 **Others**

Hel – snow leopard with ice crystals in her fur, descendant of Tyr

Sakhaf – sphinx (winged lion with a human head), guardian of the Black Mountain

Skinfur – half-wight, whose mother was a wight, his father a stray cat

Wights – cat-sized creatures with smooth, black skin, large leathery ears and small eyes, they have a blade at the end of their tails and hard paws to protect against stone. They are immune against cold and see very well in the dark. They are descendants of Tyr and were banned into the mountains when they and Hel lost the war against StarClan

() means that a character has died

Inside the separate categories, the cats are sorted by age (oldest first)

.

I won't update this Allegiance as I go along, but I will post an updated version in a few chapters, once most powers have been revealed, and add them there. That way I hope to avoid spoilers while still giving you some oversight on what the hell's happening.

.

.

Finally, as this was originally a reader-supported story, here's the credits (Usernames from the German site , original names in brackets) on the characters that were sent to me back then:

Echoflight (Geisterfluch), Boldheart (Kriegerherz), Dewfeather (Jägermond), Frostspark (Eisfunken), Lightfur (Lichtschein), Schadowfang (Schattenherz), Timberpelt (Pantherpelz), Spiderfur (Pumafell), Barkpaw (Rindenpfote), Emberpaw (Glutpfote), Hollypaw (Stechpalmenpfote) and Shadepaw (Schattenpfote) belong to **Sichelpfote.**

Nightfrost (Nachtfrost), Mistpaw (Nebelpfote), Sparrowkit (Herbstjunges), Dark-kit (Finsterjunges), Rosekit (Rosenjunges), Cloudkit (Wolkenjunges), Foxpelt (Fuchspelz), Raincloud (Regenwolke), Pineheart (Kiefernzerz), Honeypool (Honigsee), Ashstar (Aschenstern), Flintstrike (Kohlenschweif), Windflight (Windflug) and Splinter (Splitter) belong to **Nachtleopard.**

Dapplepaw (Vanillepfote), Sorrelpaw (Nelkenpfote), Shimmerfur (Diamantfell), Goldberry (Goldbeere), Falconkit (Falkenjunges), Heatherkit (Heidejunges), Duskstrike (Seelenglanz), Whisperpaw (Tränenpfote) and Elektra belong to **Pfefferminz**.

Nightcatcher (Nachtjägerin) and Lionblaze (Löwenflamme) belong to **Schmetterlingsnacht.**

Cassandra, Dimitri, Dizzy, Faye and Chase belong to **Eiswind.**

Darkpaw (Dunkelpfote) belongs to **Bunnypaw.**

Destiny belongs to **Ciar.**

Smokehart (Rauchherz) and Icestar (Eisstern) belong to **Tiffany.**

Desertstorm (Wüstensturm) belongs to **Kirschzweig.**

The rest are mine.

And no, I did not translate all of those names word for word, in case any German speakers are thinking about complaining. In some instances the literal translations sounded stupid, and in others I simply wasn't happy with the original ones.

(Also, sorry about the stupid dots. If anybody knows how to make blank lines survive formatting, please do tell)


	4. The Half-Wight

**First chapter!**

 **This is still more of a prologue, though, so if the supernatural part puts you off, be patient for a few more chapters and it'll get more wordly again ;)**

* * *

 **The Half-Wight**

The half-wight was shivering all over while he was arduously climbing the steep mountain path. Again and again his paws slipped on the smooth ice, and more than once he almost plunged to his death into the abyss to his left.

Like a hungry jaw the Black Mountain rose up beneath him, a greedy mouth ready to engulf him. Icy wind blew around his ears and snowflakes danced around his head, settling into his pelt like frosty ticks.

The half-wight hated the Black Mountain. It was always cold up here, even in summer, and the howling of the wind hurt his ears. Even more so he hated what was waiting for him at the top.

 _Hel._

Every time he looked into her eyes, the half-wight felt as if his soul froze, devoured by her bottomless chill. Sometimes he thought she made it cold on purpose, just to torture him.

But in all likelihood he wouldn't even get that far this time.

 _Failures and bastards only get to talk to the guard dog._

And in this case, the half-wight was both.

Damned Clans. Damned stone.

How was he supposed to have known that it was the _wrong_ one? Magic stones weren't just lying around, after all. Not that Hel or Sakhaf would care much for that – after all, who cared about the opinion of a half-wight whose father hadn't been more than a mangy stray cat? Even less so when said half-wight had inherited the tom's shabby grey fur, and his ridiculous hairy tail. And those bloody paws… he slipped constantly on the smooth surface, and they didn't protect him from the cold one bit. The only part his mother had passed on to him was her face, the ugly black, shiny muzzle of the wights, with the far too big bat ears and the too small eyes.

No. The life of the half-wight was by far not an easy one. And even the fact that he had killed both his parents was only a weak comfort. Revenge was sweet, but it didn't heal the cold looks, the taunting and the disdain that accompanied him his whole life.

He was panting heavily when he finally scaled the last ledge, reaching the entrance of the cave. As expected, Hel's guard dog was sitting in front of it, snarling a warning when the half-wight climbed the plateau.

Even though the half-wight called him guard dog, he looked far more like a cat – at least until you reached his shoulders. He had the body of a mountain lion, but from his shoulders sprouted long, feathered wings. And his head was human, a face of smooth, dark skin and long black hair.

Sakhaf.

Nobody really knew where he came from, or why he had chosen to serve Hel. But they all feared him, even Balder, although he hid it well. The sphinx was not someone anybody would want to enrage.

Judging by the icy look that was thrown his way, the half-wight had done just that.

"I didn't think you'd to show up," he said in his guttural voice. "Hel's waiting for you." Almost bored he slid off the ledge on which he was perched, and vanished inside the cave, swallowed by the darkness. Hesitantly, the half-wight followed him, unsure whether this unexpected audience was a good or a bad thing.

Hel was less easily enraged than Sakhaf, but her icy cold was far worse than a hundred furious sphinxes. The half-wight knew countless stories of others that had stepped into the cave and never come back.

He left the slicing wind behind him when he stepped into the dark tunnel, but the cold stayed, even seemed to increase which each step. The half-wight shivered, and bristled his fur further. A pathetic shield against the frost.

Apparently the natural immunity against Hel's cold that mystic creatures like night wights and sphinxes possessed had been lost along with the useful blade tail when his mother had chosen a cat for her mate.

 _Stupid cats. Stupid cold._ He cursed his fate and the world in general as the weak daylight slowly faded behind him. Only black remained, bottomless black. The wings of the sphinx gave off a weak light, just enough so the half-wight could at least see what it was he was hitting his head against. A meek comfort.

Deeper and deeper they ventured into the sheer endless labyrinth that perforated the mountain like a gigantic Swiss cheese. Sometimes the tunnel was barely wide enough for Sakhaf to wedge his massive body through; at other times it broadened into caves of enormous size, magnificent halls whose walls glowed green, yellow or blue.

Occasionally the rushing of an underground river could be heard, and once the half-wight even saw a silvery gleam where a roaring water fall was tumbling into a dark abyss. At some places the rocks shone bright as daylight, at others even his wight eyes weren't enough to find the path. Without Sakhaf, he'd have been hopelessly lost. Lucky, then, that sphinxes had once served as guards for burial sites, and were made for a life in darkness.

It felt like they were wandering the dark tunnels for hours, and the half-wight's paws, already sore from the exhausting climb up the mountain, felt like they would fall off at any moment when the tunnel finally opened one last time, and they stepped into a silver shimmering cave.

The sphinx stepped in front of a broad ledge, and dipped his head slightly. "The bastard's here," he proclaimed scathingly, and went to lie down beneath it on the ground, his head held high, dark eyes fixed on the half-wight. _Guard dog still fits, even though he has a cat's arse._

Not that the figure that now emerged from the shadow onto the ledge had need of one.

Icy cold flew over the half-wight, who was cowering in the middle of the cave, as even the air around him seemed to freeze. He let out a low whimper when the blue eyes found him, two crystal clear pools of ice. They belonged to a snow leopard, her white and grey fur dappled with ice crystals that gave off a weak, bluish light and gave der an almost unearthly glow, as if she really was made of ice.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was not a normal cat.

Hel.

Ice Baroness, Ruler of Black, Lady of the Mountain, the Cold Queen. She had many names, but none fit quite as well as those three letters. Hel, the ancient human god of the underworld. And exactly that was what she was. Hell come alive, risen up to bring down the gods, like her ancestor had once tried.

"You failed, Furskin," Hel now said, her voice high and cold. The half-wight trembled harder, pressing himself to the ground as hard as he could. "I-I am sorry, Hel...I didn't know it was the wrong one...I-" his voice broke, and only a whimper passed his muzzle.

Hel's eyes were unmoved, darker than the night. "Do you know what you have done, half-wight?" she cut through his stammered excuses with a voice made of frost. The half-wight raised his head. "D-Done?" he stammered, confused. "I –I destroyed the wrong stone. It wasn't Tyr's eye, and the connection between StarClan and mortals isn't broken."

Sakhaf moved for the first time, sneering at him with a hard laugh. "You think that's all? Did you inherit nothing _but_ stupidity from your mud father?"

Hel ignored the guard dog. "It wasn't just some stone," she meowed coldly, her tail lashing from side to side, betraying her smouldering fury. "Tyr had two eyes. One to look into the world of gods, the other for the mortals. The one you destroyed."

The half-wight's ears twitched nervously, still not understanding. "The mortals?" he repeated slowly. "Then why was it there? Shouldn't it be in StarClan?" A mocking smile appeared on her face. "Look at that, the furbrain isn't quite as thick as I thought." She nodded. "You are not wrong. If the stones really had worked the way I expected, it should not have been there. But it turns out that Tyr was more far-sighted than I thought. The second stone was a trap. For me."

She snarled angrily, drawing her claws across the stone ground. The half-wight winced at the sound, and tried to cover his ears.

"It was a mistake to destroy that stone," Hel continued, her short burst of fury replaced once more by chilly composure. "It's not the stone that makes the connection possible. The stone is merely a container, a way to focus his powers. By destroying it, the powers are set free."

The half-wight felt a disquieting suspicion rise in him. "P-Powers?" he repeated disheartened. Sakhaf hissed, lashing his tail impatiently. " _Tyr's_ powers, furbrain," he interrupted angrily. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"

The half-wight swallowed. "Tyr's powers? But isn't that a good thing?" he said meekly. "We are Tyr's heirs, aren't we? Shouldn't his powers help us?" The sphinx gave a derisive snort, but Hel silenced him with a flicker of her whisker. "We are his heirs, yes," she said, almost softly. "But we aren't the only ones. There are others – the descendants of the traitors that chose to side with StarClan when Tyr's true heirs fought to retain their freedom. Who helped the angry gods banish us into the depths of the Black Mountain. StarClan took their powers away as soon as the battle was won, for fear that they might once again turn their back on them. But Tyr prevented them from destroying the powers, and preserved them into stone. He sensed the time would come when they would be needed once more. When I would return. The time when the Children of the Moon would once again betray their inheritance and fight for the gods."

The half-wigh swallowed once more. Hel's voice was now cool and full of hate and disdain, but for a change it wasn't directed at him. "And...And those powers were passed over to the Clans when I destroyed the stone?" he asked, deadly afraid of what the answer might be. "To the Children of the Moon?"

Hel shook her head. "Not passed over. Freed. The cats of the Clans – some of them, at least – have always carried them. But StarClan's curse supressed them, and barely any of it ever showed. Now, however, that curse is broken. And one after the other the Children will learn their true heritage."

An icy fist closed around his heart when the half-wight realized what he had done. He had turned the Clan cats from a bunch of fur-skinned weaklings into immensely powerful foes, foes that could even endanger Hel. The same foes that had brought about her downfall the last time.

Fleetingly, he wondered why he was even still alive.

Hel appeared to have read his thoughts, for she purred almost soothingly, her voice soft and velvety once more: "I don't blame you, Furskin. The fault is mine alone. I should have known that Tyr would not give up on his beloved Children that easily. Death has made him weak, a traitor of his own blood. But he won't stop me. No matter the powers he gives them, the Clans are still nothing more than hapless fools. They'll probably start killing each other as soon as they learn of the gifts. Fear has always been a useful ally. And as soon as we have silenced the StarClan, there won't be anybody to warn them either."

She grinned, and an excited sparkle lit up her pale blue eyes. "We need the second stone. And this time we have to steal it, not destroy." The half-wight didn't like he look she threw him at those words, not at all. He felt no desire to venture into the lowlands again, even less so after his experience with the last time. The air stank of human, and his wight ears itched horribly in the tainted surroundings.

Granted, killing the cat that had crossed his path down at the moon fall had been enjoyable. A small revenge for the wretched life his father's cat blood had given him. But in the mountains he'd been surprised by two more, and those had been a great deal tougher than the Clan cat. The half-wight had barely managed to escape with his life.

Yet he was the only one who could enter the territory of the StarClan unhindered. For as powerless as they had been against Tyr, his descendants were no match for the gods. It was only the damned cat blood in his veins that allowed the half-wight to enter their most holy site.

But Hel merely laughed when she saw the horror on his face. "Do not worry, my dear Furskin," she purred, her friendly tone undermined by the icy chill in her voice. "I won't have need of your services again." She flicked her tail, and a loud squawking rang though the cave, followed the rustling of wings. Two ravens appeared from the darkness above them, landing on her shoulder. The hungry look with which they fixed their blood red eyes on him made the half-wight twitch uncomfortably. Hel grinned at him broadly, showing her sharp fangs. "Hugin and Munin are perfectly capable of this task, I should think," she continued, voice still a soft purr. "They may not be capable of destroying it, but bringing it here should not be a problem. And the StarClan will be just as powerless against two simple ravens as they are against a half-wight."

She whispered a few words to the giant birds on her back, and the ravens rose into the air once more, flying around the half-wights head a few times before vanishing into the tunnel behind him, melting into the blackness. The half-wight stared after them for a moment, barely believing that he was getting off this lightly. "T-thank you," he stuttered, quickly rising to his paws. "I'll-" But the look in Hel's eyes froze the words in his throat.

Every friendliness had disappeared from them, leaving only a chilled hardness. The snow leopard smiled, but there was no warmth in it, and it did not reach her eyes. "I am afraid you misunderstood," she purred velvety, "I _won't have need_ of your services again," She turned around. "Sakhaf?" The sphinx got to his paws, licking his lips. An ugly smile had appeared on his ugly human face. "It'll be my pleasure."

The eyes of the half-wight widened in shock. "But-" he stuttered, panicked, just before Sakhaf unsheathed his claws, lunging at him with spread wings. "I am sorry, Furskin. But failures and bastards are not welcome here," he heard the velvety voice say.

And then he learned why there were so few grave robbers down in the South.


	5. Dark Wings

**Dark Wings**

Honeypool felt the cool night air running through her fur. Up here atop the canyon it was always windy, a welcome change from the heat of summer. Timberpelt, too, seemed relieved to have escaped the choking sultriness of the forest as he was standing at the ledge peering down into the ravine where one could see the strays during the day.

Now nothing stirred, although Honeypool thought she recognized Destiny, the small leader that had met with Ashstar when he had come to confront the strays over Emberpaw's death. Of course they had denied any involvement in her death, and of course no one really believed them.

Despite that, Honeypool was almost certain they were innocent. Lightfur would have recognized their scent, and according to her the scent on the apprentice's body had been like nothing she had ever smelled.

A shiver ran down the golden she-cat's spine when she thought back to that horrible day almost a moon ago. Emberpaw had been barely eight months, curious as a kit and swift as a rabbit. No wonder she had not waited for Lightfur when she had come across the strange scent at the moon falls. When she closed her eyes, Honeypool could still see the bloodied body in front of her. She swallowed.

A coarse voice tore her from her thoughts. "You're still running around with a wet-nurse? Don't you feel a bit silly by now?" Shimmerfur, the healer of ReedClan emerged from the darkness, joining them. Timberpelt threw her an annoyed look, but stayed silent. Honeypool shook her head. "It's barely been a moon! And we still have no idea who did it. Of course Ashstar is worried."

The silver-white she-cat shrugged. "If it makes him feel better…Come on, we're wasting moonlight." With that she stepped past them, down the narrow path that led towards then end of the ravine, where the enormous waterfall tumbled down the cliff and into the river that was winding its way through the ravine. The moon fall.

It had taken almost a year and countless battles for the Clans to come to an agreement with the strays when the ragged band had first come into the ravine, many years ago. But by now the strays tolerated the Clan cats crossing their territory to get their holy site once a moon, and allowed the Clans to gather at the high rock at the other end of their land at full moon. In return the Clans tolerated them living on their holy land.

Despite the peace, Timberpelt looked unusually nervous as he was climbing down the cliff side behind the two healers, and kept shooting looks towards the rocks at the riverbank on which the strays slept during summer. As long as there was no rain, most of them seemed to prefer the fresh air.

No, the atmosphere between the Clans was not relaxed. And Emberpaw's death had only been the beginning. Only a short while ago someone had stolen prey from ReedClan – freshkill that one of their warriors had buried to pick up later. It had happened closed to the border, at the Greenpool, which had been cause of disagreement for generations, and so of course Icestar had been quick to suspect EarthClan. But the apprentice that had discovered the theft had reported the scent of _strays_ – rather unlikely, as they would have had to cross the whole ReedClan territory to get there.

Yet the uncertainty remained, and with it the simmering enmity between EartClan, ReedClan and the strays.

Shimmerfur was feeling those tensions as well, but she showed them far less than Timberpelt did and didn't even move a whisker when Destiny demonstratively sat up as they reached the bottom of the ravine, her red eyes following them through the darkness.

Honeypool for once let out a breath of relief when they finally rounded the last turn of the ravine and the moon fall rose in front of them. The moon light falling into the valley was reflected on the tumbling water masses, making them shine silver so that they almost looked like a giant curtain of pure moon light. Behind her, she heard Timberpelt draw an awestruck breath, making her smile.

Most warriors only saw the moon fall once in their lives, and not many were lucky enough to do so in a clear night as this. Honeypool could still remember the first time the black tom had come here, preparing to receive his warrior name. She herself had accompanied him, her first time to do so alone, the first time after her mentor had died. It had been hard to tell who of them had been more excited, healer or apprentice. Back then thick clouds had covered the moon, and the view had been nothing compared the one they had now.

Shimmerfur noticed the warrior's awe as well, and snorted. "Couldn't you have brought someone even more useless?" she asked dryly. "What about that blind kit you told me about? At least that one wouldn't have half fainted." Timberpelt clenched his jaw and flattened his ears angrily, but Honeypool quickly raised her tail. "Don't listen to her," she meowed quietly, "She doesn't mean it." The silver she-cat raised an eyebrow. "You sure?" But she turned away, her eyes flickering instead to a sudden movement atop the waterfall.

Honeypool her fur bristle when the ferns at the edge of the fall rustled again. Emberpaw came back into her mind, all that blood. Was the killer still around? Timberpelt had his ears pricked as well, unsheathing his claws. "Get behind me," he ordered quietly, alert eyes flickering across their surroundings. Shimmerfur ignored him, completely unfazed. "Who's there?" she asked loudly.

An odd hissing sounded, more reminiscent of squawking, and two huge birds flew up from the ferns above them. Honeypool leapt back in shock when the black beasts shot past them with a loud screech, vanishing in the darkness.

Timberpelt's eyes followed them wearily, but Shimmerfur turned away, shrugging. "Ravens," she said, sounding almost bored. "Good thing you brought that warrior. They'd have torn us apart." Honeypool didn't react to her scathing remarks, still feeling uneasy. "Did you see their eyes?" she whispered quietly. "They were red. Ravens don't have red eyes." Shimmerfur didn't even turn around. "Neither do cats. That Detsiny one still has them. Is she a ghost, too?"

Honeypool hesitated. The other healer was right. The stray's eyes were unusual, but not _impossible_. Cats were often born with strange changes. From something as simple as Sparrowkit's blindness to her mentor Shortstep, who had been born with only three legs. _StarClan's little jokes_ , he had called them. _They get bored up there just as we do._

Honeypool nodded. Yes. Just a joke by some raven ancestors.

But Timberpelt was still watching the night sky in which the birds had vanished. "One of them was carrying something," he said darkly. "A stone or something. It was shiny." Shimmerfur sighed impatiently. "Then by all means, go after them. But magpies collect shiny things, why not ravens? They're not much dumber. And whatever it was, it's not like we can change it. So can we _please_ get a move on now? Falconkit's got a bellyache, and I'd rather not tell his mother he died because some idiotic EarthClan warrior was scared of bloody _ravens_."

Timberpelt snarled angrily, but Honeypool quickly nodded. "Yes, sure." If they stood around here any longer she might just have to report to Ashstar that Timberpelt had killed ReedClan's healer, with whom they were already on the brink of war. Although, knowing Shimmerfur, she wasn't even sure who'd kill who.

She motioned for him to wait, and quickly followed the other healer the last few meters to the waterfall. When they arrived at the edge of the foaming pool they leapt onto one of the boulders that rose up from the swirling water, until they stood directly in front of the masses of water, tumbling down from above. Here Shimmerfur hesitated, her fur bristling. Even after all those moons as a healer she still hadn't overcome her dislike of water.

Honeypool's whiskers twitched in amusement. "I thought you were in a hurry?" The other she-cat growled quietly, but didn't respond. Instead her muscles tensed, and she catapulted herself through the water without further hesitation. Honeypool waited a few heartbeats and then followed.

Shimmerfur was already busy shaking the cold water out of her pelt when the other healer emerged into the grotto behind the moon fall, hissing in displeasure. "StarClan really could've come up with something better," she complained. "Why not some nice, dry boulder? There's hundreds of them out there."

Honeypool smiled to herself, looking around. The beauty of her surroundings still charmed her as much as it had all those moons ago, when she had first stepped inside. The moon light filtering in through the water shone silver on the wet walls, and the moss drew swirling pictures of light and shadow onto the rocks. No one but healers and leaders had ever laid eyes on it, and to Honeypool that made it even more impressive. She counted herself lucky to be in that elect circle.

"Have you thought about finding an apprentice?" she asked on an impulse, turning around. Shimmerfur looked up. "An apprentice?" she repeated, surprised. "What for? I'm not _that_ old!" Honeypool looked down. "Yeah. But...Shortstep died young; he wasn't even four years old. And after what happened to Emberpaw..." Shimmerfur snorted. "Shortstep was a cripple," she said harshly, "They don't live long; I'm surprised he even made it that far." She shrugged. "Of course you can die young. You don't even need a mystery killer, falling off the cliff is enough. And didn't one of your leaders once die after a tree fell on him? How was he supposed to expect that? Apart from the fact that one has to be a right moron to get killed by a sodding _tree_."

Honeypool squirmed uncomfortably. "I know. I just thought...I was thinking about asking Sparrowpaw. Nightfrost's blind kit, the one I told you about. But I'm not sure...he's strange. When I'm near him, I feel...I don't know. I don't feel good about it." Shimmerfur raised her eyebrows. "You can't just automatically make every kit a healer just because he won't have a chance as a warrior. Take Heatherkit. Blind on one eye, and hyperactive like a rabid squirrel. She's not gonna survive her first battle, if she even makes it that far. But there's no chance that I'd ever let her even _near_ my den."

Honeypool turned away. She tended to forget how pragmatic and unsympathetic the silver healer was. Maybe it was because of her stray heritage? Not that Honeypool would ever have dared to mention it. Instead she cowered down on the moss covered rock licking up some of the water from her pelt and closing her eyes. Almost immediately she felt sleep washing over her.

* * *

 _Screams. Panicked cries, horrified yowls, a tumultuous tangle of fear and confusion. No peaceful clearing that usually waited for her, no trace of Shortstep or Silverpelt._

 _Their surrounding was not recognizable at all, there were no solid forms, merely a confusing disarray of colours and shapes, leaving her floating around helplessly, unable to find solid ground beneath her paws. The only clear shape was Shimmerfur, who she could see out of the corner of her eyes, fur bristling and snapping at the forms that drifted past her through the fog._

 _Honeypool's heart raced. What was happening? She had never met Shimmerpelt in StarClan before. And most of all –_ was _this even StarClan? And if it was, what was going on here?_

 _The desperate yowls that washed over them from all sides were no comfort. Faceless figures kept emerging from the chaos, solidifying shortly before they dissolved into formless colours once more, clawing at her. Honeypool felt the panic around her seep into her own heart._

" _Honeypool!" She swirled around as best as she could in her disoriented state, and flinched when a shadow emerged right in front of her. But the longer she looked, the more solid it became, until finally-_

" _Shortstep!" she cried, voice almost faltering with relief and fear. "What's happening?" The brown tom was still looking very ghostly, fraying at the edges and almost see-through. His voice echoed strangely, as if he was speaking from very far away._

" _Tyr's heirs," he panted breathlessly. "They're back!" In his eyes lay a fear that she had never seen in him when he had been alive, a bottomless, all-conquering terror. "The prophecy! They've got the eye, in the mountains, the Black Mountain – Hel, she's she found us! The Children, you've got to...the Children of the Moon. They eye. Save the eye, before it is too late. The wights are on the march._ _You have to go, quickly, or you will be trapped here!"_

 _The old healer's voice grew ever fainter, echoed as if he was moving away at great speed. The shadows in front of her grew less clear, the colour drained form her surrounding and the light faded. She tom in front of her was barely discernible from the fog now._

" _Shortstep!"she yelled, panicked. "Shorstep, what's happening? What eye?" But he had already vanished. Honeypool turned to Shimmerfur, who was still floating next to her, still the only clear figure in this strange hell. There was fear in her eyes as well. "What-" she started, when a new voice rang out, or rather a chorus of voices, hundreds of them. They seemed to be coming from all directions at once, just as muffled as Shortstep's had been, but strong in their unity._

"The heirs awake, and the ancestors fade.

Night comes

When the heirs stand against Children.

Two and Two and Two

Children of the Moon

To save the eye

To scale the mountain and banish the night..."

 _Honeypool felt something starting to pull at her, clawing at her mind. A look at Shimmerfur told her the other healer was feeling it as well, and Shortstep's warning came back into her mind._

You have to go, quickly, or you will be trapped here!

 _Her head rose sharply. "Shimmerfur, wake up! Quickly! Something's taking StarClan, and they'll take us as well. We've got to leave!" The silver she-cat looked at her, eyes wide open. "What about the prophecy?"_

"...He who sees nothing and everything

She who dies and dies and yet lives

She, whose wings..."

 _Honeypool shook her head. The pull got stronger. Even now she felt herself being lifted out of her body, felt the connection grow thin and thinner. "No time! Wake up NOW!"_

"Rule the night

One who is two and two in one...

 _Honeypool fought back, though the swirling fog, the dancing shadows. They weren't lashing out at her, they were trying to_ hold on _. Fighting against the pull, the sinister might that was engulfing the whole of StarClan. Honeypool felt tears burning in her eyes. "Good bye, Shortstep," she mewed quietly, then she closed her eyes, and_

* * *

Shot up. Her heart was racing, and for a moment she felt like she was still caught in that terrible chaos of fear and panic. Her gaze fell on the silvery cat next to her, and her stomach lurched. The tabby sides trembled, the eyes were still firmly closed. Honeypool felt fear rise in her. No. Shimmerfur couldn't be, couldn't be...what, actually? What in StarClans's name had happened?

A gasp sounded, and green eyes shot open. Shimmerfur didn't get up, instead kept lying where she was, still trembling. "Are you alright?" Honeypool meowed cautiously. The silver she-cat nodded, still panting. "Yeah, I...everything okay. _One who is two and two in one; One who hears much and understands all_ ," she reported, rising to her paws and already back to her business-like self. "I didn't get the rest. What in hell's name _was_ that?"

Honeypool shook her head, still completely flustered. "No idea. StarClan's in danger, or dead already." Shimmerfur frowned. "They're dead to begin with. How are they supposed to die?" The other healer shrugged, feeling very numb. "I don't know," she said quietly, hopelessness seeping into her. "What do we do? Try to go back there?" Shimmerfur shook her head. "God no. We might end up trapped there for good this time. I say we wait a few days, or better until the next half moon. Then we try again."

Honeypool hesitated. "Don't you think we should tell Ashstar and Icestar?" The fear was still stuck to her fur like cold mud, chilling her insides. Whatever had just happened, it did not bode well for the Clans.

But Shimmerfur snorted. "And what do you want to tell them? _We_ don't even know what happened – Shortstep and that prophecy both talked about some heirs awaking, didn't they? I say we wait and see who or what awakes during the next days, and then we go from there." Honeypool still wasn't convinced, but she had to agree with Shimmerfur. Ashstar would not learn much from the mess of stuttered warnings and half-heard prophecies, and with the tensions flying high between the Clans, he had other worries for now. She nodded. "Alright. I won't say anything."

As they made to leave the grotto, she turned around once more. Moon light was still shimmering on the walls, but somehow it looked duller now, muffled. _Shorstep_ , she thought sadly, _Where are you?_

* * *

 **A/N:**

Did you like it?

I've got the first few chapters all ready and translated, thgat's why updates are quick for now.

There's another chapter I'll post tomorrow or the day after, where'll you'll actually see some powers,and meet more character.

After that I'll have to see how fast I can write them. Maybe encourage me with some reviews? ;)


	6. Signs Of Change

**New chapter!**

 **We finally get to see a few of the powers we've heard so much about, and meet some more characters.  
**

 **Emjoy! (and maybe leave a Review while your at it ;))**

* * *

 **Signs Of Change**

Lionblaze was yawning as he plodded through the darkness. Nightcatcher and her ungodly enthusiasm... the sun had been down for hours, but the black she-cat insisted on staying out to hunt. Or rather, she _had_ insisted, before she had vanished. Lionblaze hadn't seen so much as a whisker of her in almost twenty minutes.

"Nightcatcher?" he called softly. "Come on, let's go. I still have to settle the patrols for tomorrow, and Smokeheart's been complaining about dawn patrol again. I-" He fell silent when there was no reply. "Nightcatcher?" he repeated, louder now.

Almost on its own accord, his pace quickened. "Nightcatcher? Where are you?" He felt worry rise in him like morning fog. It had been barely half a moon since the EarthClan apprentice had been murdered. And the mysterious prey theft... He shook his head, and forcibly calmed his breath. Nonsense. The black warrior could take care of herself.

He had reached the small grove now that marked the border to EarthClan, and slowed his pace. Surely Nightcatcher hadn't been foolish enough to venture into another Clan's territory, had she? But as he now remembered with an uneasy feeling, the black warrior had never much cared for rules.

"Nightcatcher?" he was aware of how pleading his voice sounded by now, but he didn't care. "Come one, we-" He fell silent when he spotted a small black figure on a clearing in front of him. Relief flooded over him. "There you are!" Nightcatcher turned around, obviously surprised by his appearance. "Lionblaze!" she exclaimed, eyes flickering across his face but never meeting his. "I... I was chasing a rabbit, but it escaped to EarthClan," she meowed, but he didn't miss the tremble in her voice. "Nightcatcher?" hesitantly, he stepped closer, his eyes searching her body for any hint of injury. She looked as if she'd seen a ghost. "Are you alright?" He spotted something on her shoulder, and frowned. "Is that a feather?" he meowed, confused, and stepped closer. It was mottled brown, and when he flicked it away, he recognized the scent. "An owl?" he asked, incredulously. "Did you try to catch an owl?"

Nightcatcher shook her head, looking more flustered than he had ever seen her. "I...no, I..." she lowered her eyes, fixing the dirt in front of her. "Nightcatcher? What's wrong?" Lionblaze felt his worry rise. Nightcatcher could face a pack of angry dogs and still keep her calm. Whatever had happened must have been very bad indeed to leave her in such a state.

She still refused to look at him. "I...it's..." finally, she raised her head and looked at him, and to his horror he saw fear in her green eyes. _Nightcatcher doesn't do fear. Anger, yes, annoyance, hell yes. But she doesn't get scared._ He inched closer, pressing his pelt against hers in a desperate bid to console her. She was trembling. For a while they simply sat there, two silent shadows in a moon-lit clearing.

"Something...strange happened," she finally said, her voice somewhat calmer now. Lionblaze looked at her, still lost. "Strange? What do you mean?" For a few heartbeats, Nightcatcher's eyes were locked on his, green on amber. Then she took a deep breath, and murmured: "This."

And then the black cat next to him turned into an owl.

Lionblaze stared at the bird in utter shock. "What-" The owl cried out softly, and turned back into Nightcatcher.

For a moment it was silent while Lionblaze was frantically trying to make sense of what he had just seen. "What in the name of StarClan was _that_?" he then managed, completely baffled. The black she-cat shook her head, just as confused as he was. "I have no idea," she said quietly. "It happened earlier. I was watching this owl, and then I wondered what it would be like to fly, and then...then it happened. But I can control it. And it only works with the owl, I tried a fox, a badger, another bird...it doesn't work. Just the owl. What do you think it means?"

Lionblaze shook his head, feeling helpless. "I don't know," he said, pressing his fur against hers. "I've never heard of StarClan doing anything like that. Nine lives, sure, a few strange dreams, yes. But this?" Nightcatcher swallowed uneasily. "You won't tell anybody, will you?" Lionblaze looked at her for a moment, seeing the worry in her green eyes. "Not unless you want me to," he said softly. She smiled, visibly relieved, and buried her face in his chest fur. "Thanks, Lionblaze. I know I can rely on you." Lionblaze smiled down at her. "Always," he promised quietly, nuzzling the top of her head before succumbing to another yawn. "Let's go back, shall we?"

While they were walking across the meadows back to the camp, pelts brushing together, he felt doubt rise in him. Was it really within StarClan's power to grant such an ability? And wasn't it his duty as deputy to inform Icestar? Or at least Shimmerfur?

But he felt a lot less love for Icestar than a deputy probably should, and Shimmerfur – well, the healer wasn't his closest friend either. Aside from that, he had given Nightcatcher his word, and her trust wasn't something he ever intended to betray. No. Whatever the meaning of all this, he would have to figure it out by himself.

He was smiling when they reached camp and stepped through the reed barrier. _Nightcatcher, the owl._ "It fits you," he meowed quietly, and grinned at her. "I'm sure you'll be an excellent owl." Nightcatcher snorted. "Shut up." But she was smiling again when they stepped into the den.

* * *

Hollypaw swallowed when the rocks appeared in front of her. Less than ten tail lengths from here they had found Emberpaw. Her family was still reeling from the loss. Especially their father, Boldheart, had been hit hard by the death of his daughter. Hollypaw had never seen him as angry as on the day that Ashstar had returned from the strays, empty-pawed. Had Flintstreak not held him back he probably would have stormed into the ravine himself to avenge Emberpaw.

Hollypaw dug her claws into the soft earth. The Clans never should have allowed the strays to live in the holy valley.

Dewfeather sensed her anger. "We don't know if it was them. Their scent wasn't found," she reminded her apprentice softly. Hollypaw snarled. "Who else could it have been?" The white warrior sighed. "I don't know. But stories tell of giant cats up North, mountain lions. Maybe one of them came down." Hollypaw looked up doubtfully, towards the tall, dark mountains rising in the north directly in front of them. Would she be able to fight a mountain lion? She'd like to try...

But she quickly banished the thought. "There are no mountain lions," she said stubbornly. "Pineheart just made them up to scare kits." Dewfeather chuckled. "Perhaps. Come on, then. You won't bring Emberpaw back by letting your Clan starve." Hollypaw very much doubted that anybody in the Clan was in danger of starving – much less because of her – during this exceptionally warm Greenleaf, but she still followed her mentor back into the forest.

Soon she spotted a squirrel, perched on the lower braches of a slender birch. She threw a quick glance towards Dewfeather, who was walking through the forest a few tail lengths away, and licked her lips. A squirrel...this wasn't an official test, but she and her siblings were old enough to be made warriors now. And every catch counted. She grinned at the thought of receiving her name _before_ Barkpaw. The way he was doing at the moment, he'd stand no chance at his hunting trial.

Still smiling she crouched down, fixating the squirrel. Two, maybe three tail lengths. If it didn't turn its head into her direction by chance, the catch should be easy enough. Cautiously she took a step forward, then two, three, until suddenly-

' _Hollypaw?_ '

The black she-cat flinched, and the squirrel darted up the tree and out of sight. Hollypaw barely noticed. "What?" she asked, still crouched down, looking around now. "Who's there?" But the forest around her was empty save for Dewfeather, who was only visible by her pale fur flashing up between the trees, too far away to have called. And it hadn't been her mentor's voice anyway , it hadn't sounded like any voice, really...it seemed to have come from...inside her head?

' _Hollypaw, it's me!_ '

Definitely in her head. She felt panic rise in her. Was she going mad?

' _Who-Who's there?_ ' she thought hesitantly. The voice sounded familiar, somehow... ' _Shadepaw? Is that you?_ '

' _Yes! It's me! Where are you?_ ' Her sister's voice sounded scared as well. ' _What's happening?_ '

Hollypaw swallowed. ' _I'm...I'm in the forest. Hunting. You?_ '

' _In our den. I...I was trying to sleep, and then suddenly I heard your voice...you were talking about a squirrel, and Barkpaw..._ '

Hollypaw felt her fur bristle.

' _I didn't say anything. I was just..._ thinking _,_ ' she said slowly. For a moment, there was silence.

' _What's happening, Hollypaw?_ ' her sister asked timidly.

The black she-cast hesitated. ' _I don't know...apparently we're...connected or something. Listening in on each others thoughts. I didn't know that was possible._ '

Shadepaw paused. ' _Do you think StarClan did this? That this is some sort of...dunno, prophecy?_ '

Hollypaw didn't answer for a moment, wild thoughts swirling around in her head. What in StarClan's name was going on? Was this happening to all cats? She tried to reach Barkpaw, but nothing happened.

' _I don't know...it doesn't feel like a prophecy, does it? I mean, wouldn't they have come to us in our dreams or something?_ ' she asked, racking her brain for some sort of explanation. ' _Maybe it's like the nine lives of a leader. Some gift they grant special cats._ '

' _But we're not special! We're not even warriors!_ '

Hollypaw shrugged, even though she knew that her sister couldn't see it. ' _Not yet. But who knows, maybe we'll be leader one day._ ' She liked that thought. Hollystar. It sounded nice. ' _Or I will be leader and you deputy,_ ' she added quickly.

Her sister, however, didn't seem convinced. ' _I don't know. Shouldn't we...tell somebody? At least mother and father?_ '

Hollypaw hesitated. ' _No,_ ' she finally decided. ' _Just imagine what we could do with this? How cool would it be to be in two places at once? If one of us is sneaking off, the other one can always warn them if anybody's there when they come back. We can do_ anything _!_ '

The thought excited her. How useful it would be to just avoid certain cats...Dewfeather wouldn't stand a chance at finding her when she didn't want her to. Hollypaw grinned.

' _Trust me. It's gonna be awesome._ '

* * *

„Hey, Dimmy. You alright?" Dimitri looked up and saw his friend Chase strolling over to him with a broad grin on his face. "Don't call me that," he meowed uneasily. It was an unfortunate habit of the grey-brown tom, constantly shortening the names of others until they sounded utterly ridiculous. 'Dimmy' was his new favourite.

Dimitri sighed. "Have you seen Cassandra? We went hunting, and suddenly she was-" "Whoa!", Chase interrupted him with a laugh. "I didn't _really_ want to know how you are. My news are more important; look at this!" He stood in front of Dimitri and stared at him intensely as if he meant to melt his brain. Nothing happened. Dimitri pawed at the ground uncomfortably, and averted his gaze. "Uhm...Chase? What are you doing?"

"Look into my eyes!" the tall tom commanded, face distorted into a mask of pure concentration. Dimitry frowned. "You're not gonna declare your undying love for me, are you? 'Cos I'll have to disappoint you, I-" Shut up and look," Chase said, rolling his eyes. Hesitantly, Dimitri obeyed, meeting his friend's eyes. At least there wasn't anybody around to witness this embarrassing spectacle.

A few heartbeats they stood silently, while Chase' amber eyes burnt into his, and Dimitry felt more uncomfortable by the seconds. Finally, the other tom spoke. "When you were four months old, you climbed the high rock and were so scared that you peed into Linus' fur when he got you do...whoa, really? That's super embarrassing, mate." He laughed, finally breaking eye contact.

Dimitri stared at him, perplexed. "How-" he stammered, completely shocked. He felt red creep into his face. Linus had promised never, _ever_ to tell anybody about that. How on earth had Chase found out? "Did Linus-" His friend shook his head, still grinning. "As if he'd tell anybody. Who'd vote anybody Thane in whose _pelt you've pissed_?" He laughed again, looking very much like a kit who'd just caught his first prey. "But how-" Dimitri's voice faltered again.

"I've got superpowers, mate!" Chase burst out, his eyes shining as if he'd just won all three Thaneships at once. "Real, supermegafoxyawesomehot _superpowers_!" Dimitri stared at him, completely confused. "Come again?" He had often wondered when Chase would finally go round the bend, and as it seemed, that time had now come.

"Superpowers!" Chase repeated once more, "I can _see into your fucking head_!" Dimitri opened his jaw, then snapped it shut again when nothing came out. "What?" Chase shrugged, still grinning like a maniac. "No idea how it works, or why, but somehow I can see people's memories when I look into their eyes. Wicked, isn't it?"

Dimitri shook his head, a feeble attempt to bring some order into his muddled thoughts. It failed. "What?"

Chase rolled his eyes. "Come on, Dimitri! Even _you_ aren't that slow. I. Got. Superpowers!" He leapt into the air enthusiastically, looking like an oversized kit.

Slowly, Dimitri managed to catch up with what was happening. "Since when? And...how?" Chase shrugged. "No idea how, doesn't matter, does it? Started a few days ago. I was talking to Elektra, and BAM, suddenly I see her, as a kit, with her parents. And I'm thinking, strange, I mean, I wasn't even _here_ back then. And then it happened again, with Dizzy. That time I could actually control it, I could see _what I wanted_. Didn't work with Cassandra, 'cos she didn't look into my eyes for long enough. But now, with you...Fantastic, right?"

Dimitri was still staring at his friend, jaw hanging open. "But how...?" He shook his head, trying to get some sense into this conversation. "Did you tell anybody?" he finally asked. Chase snorted. "Are you mental? Do you have any idea what I can do with this?"

Dimitri frowned. "Apart from scaring the crap out of others, you mean?" Chase bristled indignantly. "I beg your pardon! I would _never_ use my powers for evil. _With great power comes great responsibility!_ " he meowed, puffing his chest proudly. Then, he grinned. "Actually, I was just gonna use it to hit on she-cats."

Dimitri stared at him (he was doing a great deal of that this morning, he realized vaguely). "Hit on she-cats?" he repeated slowly. "Are you serious?" Chase nodded eagerly, looking very pleased with himself. "Of course! Just think about all the possibilities...all the back ground info you can get – that's super useful. _Hey, I love long walks at night. You too? What a COINCIDENCE! We have so much in common..._ blablabla, and Bam, you got her. See? Foolproof."

Dimitri was silent for a moment, searching for his voice. "You've got superpowers, and your plan using them to _trick she-cats_ ," he said, incredulously. Chase nodded, grinning happily. "Exactly." He beamed, looking up at the clouds with a blissful expression on his face. "Someone up there must really like me," he meowed solemnly.

Dimitri didn't answer. Instead, his gaze wandered across the ravine, and to the other ledge, where the Clan's forest lay. What was the meaning of this? Was Chase the only one with this sudden power? Or were there others out there who could see into people's heads?

And if there were, what would that mean for the future?

Flintstrike yawned. Thick clouds were covering the sky, but the rain they promised didn't fall. Even now, at night, the air was sultry and hot, and seemed to cover the forest like a choking blanket.

Somewhere an owl cried, but otherwise it was quiet. Flintstrike still felt uneasy sitting in front of the cave, his ears pricked for any sound. The shock of Emberpaw's death sat deep, even now.

It had been two moons, but Ashstar was still puzzled as to who – or what – had killed the apprentice. Flintstrike had an uneasy hunch that it was the strays, whatever Destiny had said. There might be peace officially, but strays knew no law, no order. It was easily possible that one of them had acted on their own accord, without their leaders' knowledge.

His gaze wandered south, towards the meadows that lay behind the forest. Could ReedClan have anything to do with it? But what reasons would they have? Icestar wasn't to be trusted, but he never acted without a motive, and they had little to gain from murdering EarthClan apprentices.

Unless...with EarthClan and the strays at war, ReedClan would have the leisure of choosing whichever side they liked – or whichever promised them the most. And even if Icestar kept out of the conflict, a weakened EarthClan would pose an opportunity to finally take over the far end of the Greenpool, as he had wanted to for so long.

But would he really stoop down to _murder_?

An angry snarl interrupted his thoughts, followed by a torrent of vile swear words. The black warrior spun around. The clamour came from inside the cave, EarthClan's camp. After a short hesitation Flintstreak turned away from the forest and climbed inside.

The dark main hall was empty; the cursing didn't come from here, but one of the smaller caves. The elders' den.

"I don't care if it's your fault! Just get out of the bloody den, you sodding firefly! I want to sleep!"

He paused. Pineheart's voice, undoubtedly. The other belonged to Foxpelt, although Flintstrike couldn't make out his words. Slowly, he stepped closer. Other faces were appearing in openings of the dens now, Lightfur, Frostspark, Shadowheart, Barkpaw, Hollypaw...

And then he saw him. Foxpelt, stumbling out of the elders' den with his tail between his legs, Pineheart's curses still ringing out behind him.

The tom's russet fur was glowing brightly.

"What the-" Flintstreak muttered, staring at the elder open-yawed. The light seemed to come right _out_ of the tom, making him look like a smaller copy of the sun. The cave was brightly lit now, brighter even than during the day.

"Shit! Am I dead?" Foxpelt cried, staring at his pelt with almost comical horror in his eyes. "If only." Pineheart's voice came from the elders' den.

The rest of the Clan was just watching in shocked silence. More and more cats stepped out of their dens now, woken up by the noise and the bright light. "Wicked!" Mistpaw said in an awed whisper.

Finally, Flintstreak managed to gather himself enough to react. "Foxpelt, what is the meaning of this?" he asked, stepping forward. He had to close his eyes a little, and couldn't bring himself to look at the elder directly. "I dunno!" Foxpelt cried helplessly. "I'm glowing!" He seemed just as flustered as everyone else, if not more so.

"Flintsreak, what is-" Ashtar fell silent when he saw the glowing elder. "Great StarClan" he whispered, shocked like everybody else. Foxpelt shook his head frantically. "I have no idea what's happening! Are we _sure_ I'm not dead?"

Ashstar nodded absentmindedly. "Fetch Honeypool," he told Boldheart, who wordlessly disappeared into another cave. Then he turned back to the elder. "When did this start?" Foxpelt shrugged, looking a little less panicked now that his living status had been confirmed. "I don't know. I was sleeping, I didn't even notice, but then Pineheart woke up, and then he was snarling, an then..." "I think it was there when we went to sleep, but much weaker," a new voice said, as Raincloud stepped out of the elder den, looking at her brother thoughtfully. "I thought I was just imagining it then. It must have grown stronger during the night."

Honeypool appeared with a sleepy look on her face. But it vanished in an instant when she saw Foxpelt. Her eyes widened. "What-" Ashstar shook his head, looking grim. "We have no idea. I was hoping you could explain it." Honeypool stared at the old tom, frozen.

"Am I dead?" Foxpelt asked finally when the silence drew on. The golden brown she-cat shook her head, losing her stiffness. "No, StarClan warriors look different..." She fell silent again, and a shocked expression came on her face. "The heirs," she whispered, almost too quiet for Flintstreak to hear.

"The what?" Foxpelt repeated, confused. " _The heirs awake, and the ancestors fade_ ," she meowed tonelessly, her gaze far away now. Flinstreak felt a shiver run down his spine. _The ancestors fade…_ Was this some sort of prophecy? Was StarClan planning on leaving them?

Foxpelt still looked confused. "Who will inherit what?" But Honeypool didn't answer, still lost in some memory.

" _Tyr_ 's heirs," a voice behind them growled, and a sea of heads spun around to see Pineheart appearing from the elders' den, his eyes fixed on Foxpelt. "The heirs of Moonstar."

Silence fell. "Moonstar?" Mistpaw repeated incredulously. "The one from the fairy tales?" Pineheart's gaze flickered away from the elder and pierced the apprentice with such derision that the small tom visibly shrunk. "It's not a fairy tale, boy," he meowed coolly. It's true."

Ashstar stepped forward, visibly strained to keep control. Flintstreak was suddenly very grateful that he was only deputy, not at all envying his leader for having to deal with this when he himself felt like crawling back into his den and hoping that all of this was just some particularly strange dream. "What are you talking about?" the grey tom asked, his voice loud in an effort to hide his nervousness.

"The legend of the Children," Pineheart answered calmly, meeting his leader's gaze without hesitation. "Moonstar's gifts. The fallen star that grants his powers onto mortals, blessing them with parts of his soul…even though it is beyond me why anybody would want to bless _this_ imbecile." "Oi!"

Ashstar stared at the old tom. "You're saying this-" his tail flicked towards the glowing pelt, "-is a gift? From a dead cat out of an ancient legend?" "It's not a legend, fools!" Pineheart snarled. "Somebody must've broken Tyr's eye, and set the powers free. Foxpelt won't be the only one."

"His eye?" Ashstar repeated slowly. This time it was Honeypool who answered. "Shortstep mentioned an eye," she meowed cautiously. "In the night they-" She fell silent, and Flintstreak could see something change in her eyes. "I have to speak to Shimmerfur," she proclaimed abruptly.

Ashstar narrowed his eyes, but before he could protest Raincloud was speaking again. "What does that mean, he won't be the only one?" she asked Pineheart warily. "Are we _all_ going to start glowing?" The golden brown tom snorted. "Hardly. My guess-"

"I can walk through trees," a new voice suddenly mewed from the back of the crowd. The clan parted, and Spiderfur stepped forward hesitantly. "I-I found out a few days ago," she said, looking rather embarrassed to be at the centre of attention, but continued anyway. "I bumped into an oak, and I simply...dunno, fell through. It works with rocks as well." She stepped towards the cave wall, and – disappeared.

A shocked murmur went through the crowd. "Spiderfur?" Timberpelt cried, worried. But it didn't take more than minute, and the black warrior was walking in through the cave entrance. "See?" she meowed, grinning sheepishly.

Flintstrike looked around, feeling dazed. This whole thing was becoming more and more dreamlike. Just as he was wondering when he'd wake up, another cat stepped forward.

"Shadepaw and me can talk to each other in our minds," she proclaimed proudly, "No matter how far apart we are." "What?" Echoflight asked, looking at her daughters in shock. "Is that true, Shadepaw?" The black apprentice nodded, somewhat more hesitant than her sister. "Yes…it started about a moon ago."

"So _that's_ why!" Barkpaw exclaimed. "Bugger _the sight_ – you owe me a mouse!" He stared at his sister in indignation, fur bristled, but she merely poked her tongue out at him. "You're just jealous 'cos we're Tyr's heirs." She turned around to Pineheart. "What _are_ Tyr's heirs?"

The old tom watched her with a mixture of fear and hate, quickly wiping the excited smile off her face. "They are the warriors of hell," he finally said, voice scything. "Sworn to kill StarClan."

Shocked silence fell. Flintstreak felt his fur bristle. Foxpelt – an enemy of StarClan? It seemed very unlikely that he was the enemy of anybody, much less the gods. "They are…what?" the old tom now repeated, looking scared again.

Ashstar swallowed, and exchanged a look with Flintstreak, seeking help. The deputy shook his head silently, and Ashstar straightened. "I think it is time for a gathering," he said, voice a great deal more firm than before. "ReedClan will also have been affected by this. Flintstreak, you will go to Icestar tomorrow, take two warriors with you and ask him to move the gathering to tomorrow night. Honeypool, you can accompany him in case you need to confer with Shimmerfur before that." He fell silent for a moment, and his gaze wandered over Foxpelt, Spiderfur and the two apprentices. "The rest of you, just…act normal." The words sounded almost laughable in the face of Foxpelt's brightly glowing fur.

I'll just…sleep outside," the old tom murmured with a quick look at Pineheart and left the cave, his head hanging low. "Dammit, I really thought I was _dead_!" Flintstreak heard him mutter before his voice was lost in the night. With the cave plunged into darkness once more, the cats began to filter back into their dens once more, talking quietly among themselves.

Flintstreak and Ashstar remained. "Something is coming," the grey leader meowed, sounding tired. "And it's nothing good." Flintstrike tried to smile. "As long as all that's endangered is Pineheart's slumber, I don't think we'll have to worry too much," he meowed lightly. Ashstar returned the smile, but the worry sin his eyes tayed.

No, Flintstrike agreed silently as he made his way back towards his post. Something wasn't right at all.


	7. The Thoughts of Others

**The Thoughts of Others**

The sky was bright blue when Sorrelpaw and Whisperpaw left the camp, and despite the early hour the sun was burning down on their pelts uncomfortably hot. Sorrelpaw sighed. "I really could do with some rain now." Her friend shrugged. "EarthClan will be the first to run into problems. We've got enough water reserves." Sorrelpaw nodded slowly, but her sullen mood stayed.

"What's he doing in the forest, anyway?" she asked instead, curious. Whisperpaw shook her head. "No idea. But he should be back by sun-high. He promised to teach me how to fish." Sometimes Sorrelpaw envied her friend for her mentor Windflight. Her own, Lionblaze, was friendly enough, but he was also the deputy, and far stricter. Windflight was always cheerful, and an incredibly gifted teacher at that.

Right now, however, he wasn't any of that, because he was gone.

"I wonder what he's doing up there," she meowed thoughtfully. "I thought he hated climbing?" Before Whisperpaw had a chance to reply, Oakpaw came crashing through the tress. "You've got to see this!" he cried, almost stumbling over his own paws in an effort to stop in front of them. "It's unbelievable!"

The small tom bounced around the older apprentices excitedly. "It's Windflight, he – he's standing on a tree trunk!" Sorrelpaw frowned. "He climbed a tree stump? Congratulations" Oakpaw frantically shook his head, giddy with excitement. "Not a tree stump. He's standing _on the trunk_."

"On a tree trunk?" Whisperpaw repeated, sounding just as confused as Sorrelpaw felt. She realized that they would not get any more information from the tiny apprentice. "Come on," she meowed, already setting off in a moderate jog. Whisperpaw followed her while Oakpaw sped off in the other direction, probably to tell the rest of the Clan about his discovery. Sorrelpaw almost felt sorry for them.

It took them only a couple of minutes to find Whisperpaw's mentor. Lionblaze and Owlfeather were there as well, staring in astonishment at something above their heads.

That something was Windflight, standing _vertically_ at the trunk of a massive oak, grinning down at them. Sorrelpaw paused. "How-" Most ReedClan cats disliked climbing, and it was a well-known fact that none of them could rival EarthClan. But Sorrelpaw was pretty sure that even the other Clan's most experienced climber would have trouble matching the brown tom. He seemed to actually stick to the bark, and he hadn't even unsheathed his claws.

Owlfeather turned around when the two she-cats arrived. "Sorrelpaw! Incredible, isn't it?" Sorrelpaw pulled herself together and tore her eyes away from the strange sight, and towards the young warrior. "What in StarClan's name is that?" The silver tom shrugged. "No idea, to be honest. He just jumped up, and...stuck. It's been going on for a while, he's just running from branch to branch like a mad squirrel. We sent Oakpaw to fetch Shimmerfur."

Sorrelpaw managed a weak nod. Whisperpaw was still staring at her mentor, who was now catapulting himself on to the next tree with an enormous leap, actually bearing some resemblance to an oversized squirrel.

"Oi, Windflight. What's this, then?" Sorrelpaw shouted. The brown tom turned around to peer down at her, still grinning like a lunatic. "Not a clue. Brilliant, isn't it? Morning, Whisperpaw! I'm afraid I'll have to cancel fishing!" The golden brown she-Cat next to her nodded slowly, jaw still hanging open.

Sorrelpaw's gaze wandered over to Lionblaze, who was fixating the other warrior as well. But something in his eyes nagged at her mind. The faraway expression with which he was watching Windflight...as if he was seeing something completely different. Or someone.

But before she could say anything, more cats stepped out between the trees, carrying with them the distinct scent of EarthClan. It was Flintstrike, their deputy, together with the healer Honeypool and two other warriors. One of them Sorrelpaw recognized as Timberpelt, but the other, a small silver she-cat was unknown to her.

Lionblaze spun around. "Flintstrike" he growled, not hiding the surprise from his voice. "What are you doing here?" The black tom's gaze wandered away from him, up towards the beech that Windflight was still sticking to, staring at the newcomers with just as much surprise. But in spite of shock there was only mild awe on Flintstrike's face – almost as if he'd been expecting this.

"You too, then," her meowed curtly, turning back to Lionblaze. "Ashstar sends us," he said with a strained smile, "There were strange...happenings in our Clan last night .One of our elders, he...he glows in the dark. And there were others, too. Apparently there's a prophecy, and an old legend that foretold it. In short, Ashstar thinks it best to move the Gathering to tonight."

Lionblaze was silent for a while, mulling over the other warrior's thoughts. Sorrelpaw looked more closely at the EarthClan faces. Only now she noticed that there wasn't just a surprise in the looks they gave Windflight, but also something akin to fear. Her fur prickled with unease. What exactly was this prophecy about?

Finally, Lionblaze nodded. "I will deliver your message to Icestar. But I cannot promise that he will share your view. Up until now he doesn't even know about this at all." He flicked his tail towards Windflight. Flintstrike bowed his gratefully. "Thank you. We expect your reply before sundown." But before the EarthClan warriors could turn around to leave, their healer stepped forward. "I'd like to speak to Shimmerfur," she meowed politely but firmly, and her eyes made it clear that she would take no for an answer. "The prophecy was made in front of both of us, and we should try to understand it together before we speak in front of the Clans."

Lionblaze hesitated, then nodded. "We will accompany you and one of your warriors to our camp. Nothing more." His message was clear, and Flintstrike's tail flick signalled that he understood – whatever the meaning of all this, there was still little love between ReedClan and EarthClan.

"Timberpelt, you'll go with her. Frostspark and I will wait for you at the border. Be back at sun-high." The last words were a clear message to Lionblaze: EarthClan trusted them no more than they did them.

The golden tom nodded curtly and watched unmoved as Flintstrike and the silver warrior vanished between the trees once more. Then he motioned for the two remaining EarthClanners to follow him. Sorrelpaw and the others followed their little band, and after a brief hesitation Windflight hopped off his tree as well, joining them.

As they made their way back to camp Whisperpaw kept stealing shy glances at her mentor, until he finally fell into step beside her, smiling. "Come on, Whisperpaw, don't give me that look! I'm still the same cat!" he meowed pleasantly. "Just with...cool skills." He grinned, and enthusiastically leapt onto one of the large boulders that marked their territory's eastern border. Sorrelpaw couldn't help but smirk. Squirrel, definitely. Or maybe a lizard. After a small hesitation, a small smile crept onto Whisperpaw's lips as well.

Owlfeather, who was walking behind them, uttered a disbelieving snort. "Windflight, of all the cats," he muttered with a weak laugh, "One should think StarClan would choose more serious cats. More dignified." Sorrelpaw shared his laughter, but it felt hollow.

The warrior's words had caused a small shiver to run down her spine. If it even _had_ been StarClan' doing...

The stares pricked her fur like needles. Some were curious, some wary, some even sympathetic. But they all shared the same distance, the invisible wall that had appeared between her and the Clan overnight. She was different, marked.

Already she wondered if it had been a mistake to tell the Clan about her power. But how could she have known the darkness that Pineheart had seen in it?

 _Sworn to kill StarClan._

Why her? She hadn't sworn anything except loyalty to her Clan, and most definitely not assault on the gods. Why couldn't this have happened to somebody else, somebody strong, clever. Flintstrike, or maybe Boldheart. Somebody who'd be able to make sense of all this, who'd know what to do. More than ever she wished her brother was here. Timberpelt always knew what to do. But he wasn't here, he had gone to ReedClan to organize a Gathering that would determine her fate.

Spiderfur felt alone. For a second she thought about visiting Foxpelt, just so she could have somebody to talk about all this, somebody who might stand a chance at understanding. But then she'd also meet Pineheart, and she had no desire to face him. Which left Hollypaw and Shadepaw, but they were apprentices, and they didn't seem bothered by the stares. After all, they at least had each other.

Spiderfur sighed quietly as her gaze wandered across the camp. Mistpaw and Barkpaw were scuffling in front of their den while Dapplepaw was watching them, her head crooked to one side. Shadowheart and Lightfur were sharing a blackbird. Echoflight and Boldheart were returning from a hunting patrol. A happy picture of a happy Clan. No sign of the ghostly glow that had filled the cave last night, of the panicked k looks etched in every face.

But still, the stares were there. Hidden, easy to overlook but making her pelt crawl nonetheless. Dapplepaw, stealing glances her from the corner of her eye. Shadowheart, who kept shooting her dark looks. Dewfeather, watching her with a thoughtful expression. Spiderfur turned her back on them.

Her gaze fell onto the nursery, where Dark-kit, Rosekit and Cloudkit were cheerfully fighting over a scrap of mouse skin. But it wasn't them that made her breath hitch. It was Sparrowkit, whose milky eyes were firmly fixed on her.

Spiderfur swallowed nervously, refusing to look away.

Sparrowkit had always left her a little uneasy, even though she couldn't for the life of her say why. But she wasn't alone in that feeling – most warriors avoided the nursery since Nightfrost's litter had been born, and even the tom's siblings seemed to increasingly shun him over the last few weeks.

At first Spiderfur had put it down to his blindness. But the longer she observed him, the more certain she was that it was the opposite.

Because even though the amber eyes were dull and milky, the red-and golden tom was moving with the natural ease of someone who could see perfectly well. He always seemed to know what was going on, always turned his head when a cat entered the cave, no matter how silent their step. Now that she thought about it she realized she hadn't ever seen him ran into any walls, either...

Spiderfur stared at the small kit. It cocked his head and smiled...almost as if it could actually see her. Spiderfur shrank back, heart racing.

Sparrowkit rose to his paws and slowly made his way across the cave towards her. "Are you sad?" he asked curiously when he had reached her. His voice was disquieting. High and whiny like that of a kit, but somehow still carrying the maturity of a warrior.

"I-Why do you think so?" she asked, confused. Sparrowkit smiled. "Because of the staring. The others, they think you're not normal. A freak." Spiderfur's pelt bristled with unease. "How do you-" Sparrowkit shrugged. "I can hear them," he said simply. Then he smiled again, and his voice sounded almost sympathetic. A strange sentiment coming from someone so young. "Just ignore them. Other people's thoughts can be very hurtful if you give them too much importance." Spiderfur paused, still confused by the kit's unnatural maturity. "You...you hear them?" she repeated slowly. Sparrowkit nodded. "All the time. I hear you as well. You're wondering if I really am blind. And why I sound so old." Spiderfur's eyes widened. "You can see my thoughts?"

Sparrowkit was still smiling. "I hear them," he repeated. "Not just yours; everybody's. It's very noisy." The last part sounded almost regretful. A few days ago Spiderfur might have laughed at the idea, but after last night his words caused no more than a mild shock. "Since when?" she asked when she had found her voice again. "And why didn't you tell anybody?"

Sparrowkit shrugged. "As long as I can remember. And why would I? You never told anybody you could walk through rock until last night." He blinked at her. Spiderfur still struggled to make sense of him. So he was listening in on her thoughts? All of them? A shiver passed down her spine and she was suddenly glad that he was just a kit. The idea that he could just look inside her head, whenever he pleased...

Sparrowkit smiled again, but this time he looked sad. "That's why," he meowed softly. Seeing her questioning glance, he continued: "It makes people nervous. Even now, when they don't even know what it is exactly. Dark-kit and Rosekit most, but mother and Cloudkit as well. They sense that I'm different. I can hear them think it."

Spiderfur swallowed. When even she struggled to cope with these changes... what might they do to a kit of two moons?

"Don't you think you should still tell somebody?" she asked uncertainly. "How about Honeypool?" Sparrowkit shrugged, kneading the ground in front of him with his tiny paws. "She's scared of me as well." He didn't seem particularly bothered about that, and somehow that irritated Spiderfur even more. Apparently a two moon old kit was coping better than her.

"Do you want to know a secret?" Sparrowkit now meowed quietly, his fluffy tail lashing from side to side excitedly. "It's about the prophecy. I know what happened to StarClan!" Spiderfur looked at him in surprised. "StarClan sent you dreams?"

He shook his head. "No. But I heard Honeypool coming back from the moon fall a few weeks ago. She was terribly upset, and it all sounded very muddled, but I could understand some of it." Spiderfur's eyes wandered over to the empty medicine den. How many other secrets had the young tom gathered? Almost on their own impulse, her thoughts wandered over to a certain trip into the mountains, and she quickly scrambled to think of something else. But the amused twitch of his whiskers was very telling.

Thankfully he had enough tact not to comment, and graciously ignored the red creeping into her face. "They were abducted," he meowed instead, continuing his story, "At least I think they were. Honeypool isn't sure, but she and Shimmerfur almost got stuck there as well." Spiderfur was simply taking it in now. So many strange things had happened during the last days that she found herself unable to muster up any real shock.

"And then Shortstep showed up, and he was talking about a prophecy, and about heirs and Children fighting each other. He mentioned a mission, into the mountains I think, to get something back. I'm not sure what. I heard some of the prophecy, though – Honeypool's been dreaming about it a lot. _She who dies and dies and yet lives...He who sees nothing and everything...She whose wings rule the night..._ No idea what that's supposed do mean. Do you think-"

He noticed her going stiff, and paused. _He who sees nothing and everything_. Spiderfurs eyes wandered to his own, milky amber ones, staring up at him in confusion. Then he heard her thoughts, and panic flared up in them.

"You can't... I'm a _kit_! And I'm not blind – not really. I can _see_ you!"

Spiderfur struggled to fight down the cold rising in her. Surely StarClan wouldn't send a kit...No. It had to be about somebody else. After all, who knew what other strange powers would be revealed at tonight's gathering? She pushed the thought aside, and narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly curious.

"How _do_ you see, actually?" Sparrowkit grinned, the fear vanishing from his voice to be replaced with excitement once more. It was clear that he had long wished for an opportunity to share his abilities with somebody. His voice might sound like that of an elder, but in his heart he was still nothing more than a kit, as easily distracted as a mouse. "I use other people's eyes," he explained, puffing his chest out proudly. "With yours, for example, I can see myself. And you I see through mothers'. She's watching you, so I can see you. And-"

But Spiderfur wasn't listening anymore. Instead she raised her head, alarmed by the kit's words, and realized with a jolt that he was right. Nightfrost's pale blues eyes seemed to practically pierce her as she was staring at the warrior and her son.

Spiderfur flinched. "Maybe you should..." But the black she-cat was already on her paws, walking over to them with a suspicious look in her eyes. Sparrowkit sensed her. "Mother," he chirped happily. "Isn't it cool how Spiderfur can walk through things?" Nightfrost narrowed her eyes, surveying the warrior. Her voice rang true to her name when she asked coolly: "And what exactly where you discussing?"

Spiderfur was struggling to find words. She had always been a little bit afraid of Nightfrost, even though the older warrior had been Timberpelt's mentor. And the whole Clan knew how fiercely protective she was of her blind kit.

"I...We just..." she hesitated, realizing what she had to do. Sparrowkit might not agree, but he wouldn't be able to keep his secret forever, anyway. And if they really posed a danger to StarClan...Ashstar had to be warned.

"No!" Sparrowkit howled, realizing what she was about to do a split-second before she opened her mouth, but she ignored him. "Sparrowkit can hear the thoughts of others," she meowed quietly. She didn't have to read his mind to understand the dark look he was shooting her.

"Cassandra!" Dimitri cried in surprise when the red she-cat appeared in front of him. "Where did you come from?" Cassandra shrugged. "Hunting." Only then he saw the squirrel in her jaw. "Wow! Where did you get it?" he asked, slightly awed. The stray's territory consisted mainly of rocks and bushes. Excellent for birds or lizards, but squirrels rarely ever ventured down here.

Cassandra didn't even look at him, instead settling down to eat. "Mountains," she said curtly. Dimitri wasn't convinced, but pushed away his doubts. Cassandra wasn't stupid; she'd know not to disrupt the peace.

"Chase has been running after Elektra for about half an hour now," he meowed cheerfully, trying to change the topic, and sat down beside her. He flicked his tail towards the sun rocks about a hundred tail lengths away, where his grey-brown friend was eagerly flirting with the red she-cat. "I think she's about a mouse-length away from tearing off his face." He grinned, and Cassandra's whiskers twitched with amusement. "About time someone does," she purred.

And indeed, even while she was speaking the situation at the rocks changed drastically. Chase howled in pain, hastily leaping away with a bloody scratch on his nose, while Elektra chased after him, baring her fangs.

After almost five minutes the she-cat finally gave up, settling back down onto the warm rocks with an angry snarl. Panting, Chase trotted over to them, flopping down with a sigh. "And that, my friend," he said in place of a greeting, "Is why you need to keep fit."

He touched at the scratch on his nose and winced, staring down at the blood on his paw with a reproachful look. "She didn't have to be so violent," she moaned. "One little joke about her Mum..." Cassandra rolled her eyes as Dimitri sighed. "It's generally not a good idea to joke about anybody's Mum, Chase," he explained exasperatedly. His friend looked at him in surprise. "Why not?" he asked, unfazed. "Mine was a fat little kittypet, you can joke about her all you like. Doesn't mean I'm gonna bite your fucking ear off. And anyway, I was just saying how good Elektra looked in comparison..."

Cassandra flicked her tail in irritation, standing up. "You're disgusting," she meowed and walked away. "Love you too!" Chase yelled after her cheerfully. "I bet you're Mum's better looking than you are!" Dimitri leapt to his paws. "Cassandra, wait!" He turned his head to glare at Chase angrily before setting off after her, only to realize that the red she-cat had gone.

He looked around. "Cassandra?" How could she have disappeared so quickly? There was nothing but stones around them, the next bush fifty tail-lengths away. There was no way she was hiding.

He turned back to Chase, confused. "Did you see that?" But his friend wasn't even looking at him anymore, his amber eyes fixed on the riverbank. "Sorry, mate, Laila's here. I bet _she_ doesn't have a problem with her Mum..." He rose again, smoothing the fur on his chest with a few quick licks and leaving smears of blood in his pelt, and ran off.

Dimitri stared after him with a resigned look, unsure whether to be amused or pissed. Chase was pretty much the most unhelpful friend any cat could have. Maybe he should find somebody else...

His gaze wandered across the valley, from Drivel, who was gulping down a vole with his toothless mouth, scattering an unappetizing mixture of snot and drool, to Smiler, who was shredding a hazel bush, cackling madly. Maybe Chase really was his best option. With another sigh he heaved himself to his paws and trotted off towards the river to help his friend, who was being drowned by a furious Laila.

He didn't notice the red she-cat reappear behind him, a smirk on her narrow face.

* * *

 **So what did you think?**

 **Next chapter will see some answers concering the prophecy. I know it feels a bit slow for now, but the action will really kick off in two or three chapters, I promise ;)**


	8. Dark Prophecy

**Dark Prophecy**

A familiar shiver ran down Honeypool 's spine as she stepped through the reed tunnel into the camp. Medicine cats were more used to visiting foreign territory than other cats, but that did not keep her from feeling uneasy. The dark looks thrown at her and Timberpelt made it clear that ReedClan had not forgotten the prey theft.

Luckily, news of the ReedClan warrior's strange climbing ability were far more interesting than them, and thanks to the crowd quickly forming around him few cats took notice of them.

When they arrived, Icestar was standing in front of his den, listening to and dark tabby apprentice, who, going by his excited jumps, was just recounting the tale from the forest, and their arrival triggered a new storm of questions. The EarthClanners seemed utterly forgotten.

Lionblaze had vanished as soon as they stepped into camp, not even pausing to talk to Icestar. Honeypool could see him now, quietly talking to a black she-cat at the edge of the camp, not even glancing in their direction.

Thus it fell onto the third and last warrior of their small patrol to lead them to the medicine den, a young tom that couldn't have been out of the apprentices' den for more than two moons. "Just...follow me," he mewed, visibly nervous at the sudden responsibility. Honeypool obeyed with a small smile, Timberpelt following silently. He held his head low, but his blue eyes were flickering around the foreign camp, absorbing every detail. Honeypool knew there would be a meticulous report to Ashstar later.

Shimmerfur emerged from her den as they approached, drawn out by the unusual noise. It didn't take more than a few words from the young warrior and a glance at Honeypool for a look of understanding to cross her face. "My den," she meowed quickly. "Your warrior stays." Honeypool nodded, and Timberpelt silently sat down next to the entrance, the ReedClan warrior still standing next to him, obviously unsure whether he should guard him. Timberpelt's whiskers twitched with amusement as he eyed the younger tom, his lips curling into a half-smile.

"So the Heirs actually showed up, did they?" Shimmerfur growled when they had settled down inside her den. "How many in EarthClan?" Honeypool hesitated. It went against her instinct to spill her Clan's secrets, even to another medicine cat. "Three," she finally meowed in spite of that. "Foxpelt started glowing last night, but it faded by morning. We're assuming it only comes out at dark. Spiderfur can walk through trees and rocks, and other inanimate objects. Not cats, though. And Hollypaw and Shadepaw's minds seem to be connected; they can communicate by thoughts."

Shimmerfur huffed, looking impressed. "That's a lot. Makes Windflight pale in comparison doesn't it?" she meowed. "How did Ashstar react?" Honeypool shrugged. "Shocked, like all of us. I told him about the prophecy this morning, but left out the specifics. I was thinking we should do it together, at the Gathering. Once we've figured out what it actually means."

Shimmerfur sighed. "And how do we do that?" she asked, looking doubtful. Honeypool nervously pawed at the moss in front of her. "Pineheart, he..." she started uncertainly. "He seems to think that this is about the Legend of Moonstar. He thinks Foxpelt and the others are Moonstar's Heirs, come to tear down StarClan."

Shimmerfur chuckled humourlessly. "Bit late for that, aren't they? StarClan seems to be finished already." Honeypool felt cold rise up in her. "You...you didn't receive any dreams since –" The silvery she-cat shook her head. "Not one," she meowed, a n uncharacteristically worried expression in her green eyes. "I even went to the moon fall, twice. Nothing." Her claws scratched over the dirt floor. "I think we'll just have to accept that they're gone."

Honeypool stayed silent. Fear grasped her heart with icy fingers. StarClan, their ancestors, who had guided and protected them all their lives – generations of lives – gone?

"What do we do?" she asked, feeling lost. "Do we tell them?" Shimmerfur shrugged. "They'll find out sooner or later, anyway. The next leader ceremony... But I think we'll run into trouble before that. That prophecy was about more than just StarClan vanishing." Her words sounded as gloomy as Honeypool felt.

"In that case, we better find out what it means," she meowed quietly. Shimmerfur nodded, and a grim determination crept back into her voice. She seemed remarkably unfazed at the disappearance of her ancestors. But Honeypool knew her well enough to recognize the fear in her green eyes, however well hidden. The other medicine cat was just as worried as she was.

" _The Heirs awake and the ancestors fade,_ " Shimmerfur began. "That much's obviously happened already." Honeypool nodded. "If Foxpelt and the others really are the Heirs," she interjected hesitantly. _Sworn to kill StarClan._ She still had trouble accepting that the old tom should be responsible for all this. Shimmerfur raised an eyebrow. "Do we know anything else that's recently awoken?"

Honeypool didn't' answer, instead moving on to the next line. " _Night comes, when Heirs stand against Children._ Who are the Children?" Shimmerfur paused. "Us, maybe? The Clans? The children of StarClan? They're our ancestors, after all." Honeypool frowned, not convinced. "But Foxpelt is part of the Clans…" she stopped when another thought popped into her head. "It's called the Legend of the _Children_ , isn't it? The story about Moonstar that Pineheart was talking about." Shimmerfur narrowed her eyes. "Children, Heirs…in most versions they are interchangeable. All of them get their powers from Moonstar."

Honeypool nodded eagerly, hope rising in her. "Exactly! What if Foxpelt and the others are the Children, and the Heirs are…I don't know, somebody else." Shimmerfur didn't answer immediately, still looking thoughtful. "There's not gonna be that many cats with these kind of powers, are there?"

Honeypool shook her head, growing more convinced by the second. "The prophecy goes on, doesn't it? _Two and Two and Two, Children of the Moon, To save the eye,_ _To scale the mountain and banish the night_. Shortstep mentioned the Black Mountain. What if that's where the Heirs are? If they're the ones who stole the eye – whatever that is? And Foxpelt and the others are the Children that have to get it back? Two and two and two?"

Shimmerfur hesitated. But she had to admit that Honeypool could be right. "Maybe," she said slowly. "So they're the Children of the prophecy, the ones who're supposed to save us? Elders and apprentices?"

Honeypool paused. The thought of Foxpelt setting off to climb some mountain was not exactly comforting. "Who knows," she meowed, pondering. "Two and two and two means six. We've got five so far, but they still seem to be appearing. If more than six Children emerge, not all of them will have to go."

Shimmerfur nodded. Then another thought struck her. " _Two and two and two_ ," she repeated, looking grim. "I think we can both guess what that means. Two from ReedClan, two from EarthClan, and two…strays. Icestar will be thrilled." Honeypool felt her newfound confidence melt away in a heartbeat.

Emberpaw came back into her mind, the blood on her body. Icestar wouldn't be the only one outraged by the news.

It felt wrong stepping between the high-rocks without the comforting light of the full moon above them. Instead the sky was covered in thick clouds, choking out even the starlight. Lionblaze set back his ears uneasily, and pressed his fur closer to Nightcatcher's. She was just as nervous as he was, if not more. In the end she had revealed the owl after all, shortly after Windflight had shown up that morning. Since then the mistrustful stares had followed her, too.

The EarthClan was already present when they arrived. Ashstar interrupted his conversation with Flintstrike and bowed his head in greeting before rising to his paws and quickly climbing one of the high boulders that framed the gathering place in a loose circle.

Icestar turned to Lionblaze. "We have to find out how many of them, and what powers," he meowed quietly, before following the other leader with a few quick leaps. Lionblaze threw one last encouraging smile towards Nightcatcher and went after him. Flintstrike greeted him with a friendly smile when he sat down next to him at the bottom of the rocks. "Recovered from the shock yet?" Lionblaze merely huffed, his gaze wandering across the EarthClanners.

Foxpelt was easily recognizable – the glow emitting from his fur illuminated the whole area, brighter even than at full moon. Lionblaze couldn't help but stare. A glowing cat – what had StarClan been thinking?

It had its merits, he had to admit. In a moon-less night as this it could have been difficult to recognize the other cat's faces, but now he could see them clearly, more so than at any previous Gathering.

Ashstar rose. "Cats of ReedClan and EarthClan. I hereby welcome you to this Gathering. I don't have to tell you, why we here. You all know of the…incidences of the last days. We can only hope that we might find an explanation tonight."

He turned towards Icestar expectantly, but the other tom stayed quiet, giving only the smallest of nods to acknowledge his words. With an irritated flick of his tail, Ashstar continued. "We believe that these… _powers_ go back to an old legend, the Legend of the Children." A small commotion broke out at his words, whispers and mutterings erupting everywhere. "That's a tale for kits," Bearfang cried, sneering. "You don't honestly expect us to believe in that?"

Lionblaze flicked his ears angrily. "Quiet, Bearfang," he meowed coolly. The other warrior looked rebellious but fell quiet. Icestar on the other hand smiled thinly at him, obviously not at all bothered that one of his warriors was interrupting the other leader.

Lionblaze' muscles tensed when frustration welled up in him once more. In times like these, collaboration between the Clans was essential. But diplomacy towards another Clan had never been Icestar's strong point.

Ashstar didn't move a whisker. "Before last night, I would have told you the same thing," he meowed calmly, "But then I never would have believed you if you told me of cats that can move through rock, or glow." He nodded towards Foxpelt. "I think it is time we broadened our horizon, if we are to make sense of this." His eyes fell on Honeypool and Shimmerfur. "The two medicine cats received a prophecy a few weeks ago, that might shed some light onto this. I suggest they explain it themselves."

He sat back onto his hunches and motioned for the two she-cats to step forward. Shimmerfur went first, and after a slight pause Honeypool followed. EarthClan's medicine cat looked worried, and even Shimmerfur was frowning as they took their place in front of the gathered cats.

The silver medicine cat cleared her throat, and spoke. "What we have to say will unsettle you, and probably scare some of you," she meowed harshly, "Which is why I'm asking now that any of you imbeciles who might plan on panicking, crying or otherwise interrupting this leave now, and spare the rest of us."

The gathered cats exchanged looks, some worried, some amused. Other looked affronted. Lionblaze sighed, and silently shook his head. Shimmerfur always knew how to make friends.

The medicine cat waited until silence fell once more, and then meowed loudly: "StarClan has been taken." Lionblaze felt his jaw drop. StarClan had – _What?_

He wasn't the only one that was shocked, as uneasy murmur interrupted once more. Shimmerfur snarled impatiently. "Yes, taken," she repeated quickly, "by, we believe, the Heirs of Moonstar." Foxpelt yowled in panic. "I didn't take anything! Honestly!"

Shimmerfur rolled her eyes. "This is gonna be a long night," she observed dryly to Honeypool, loud enough for Lionblaze to hear. The golden she-cat leapt to her paws. "Nobody said it was you, Foxpelt," she meowed softly. "We don't think that you are the Heirs. The prophecy speaks of two factions, the Children and the Heirs. Shimmerfur and I concluded that you are the Children. The protectors of StarClan, and enemy to the Heirs."

Foxpelt sank back to the ground, looking confused. "Children?" he asked. "Do you have any idea how _old_ I am?" A few cats laughed, and Lionblaze couldn't help but twitch a whisker. Shimmerfur snorted. "Enough of that nonsense," she meowed harshly. "As I said, the prophecy speaks of the awakening of the Heirs, and fading of the ancestors. Well, StarClan _has_ vanished, that much is clear. Honeypool and I were there when it happened. It also mentions an eye that has been stolen and needs to be retrieved. We think that it is some sort of synonym for the StarClan. Shortstep spoke of the Black Mountain, which is probably where they were taken. Which brings us to the second part of the prophecy." She paused. "Six cats are to be sent to get back the eye, six _Children of the Moon._ "

Silence fell. Finally, Flintstrike cleared his throat. "Six?" he frowned. "Unless I've miscounted there are seven cats with these powers." Lionblaze' eyes flickered to Icestar, who was watching the other tom with narrowed eyes. EarthClan had five of the Children, ReedClan merely two. Even if most of them were as useless as Foxpelt's glowing, the EarthClan had a distinct advantage.

But Honeypool shook her head. "Not all of them are chosen. The prophecy lists a few, although the words are not clear. And it is incomplete, as we did not hear the last line." Ashstar nodded slowly. "What did you hear?"

Before Honeypool could answer she was interrupted by Shimmerfur. "That's not all," she meowed with a long look at the two leaders. "Two cats from each Clan are needed. Two and two and two."

Icestar frowned. "But-" Ashstar started as well, looking confused. The ReedClan leader was the first to understand, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "The strays?" he asked. "What do they have to do with all this?" Ashstar snarled. "Never," he growled, his yaw pressed tightly closed.

A big orange EarthClan warrior leapt to his paws. "They are scum, fox-hearted traitors! I'd rather die than side with them!" Mutters of approval sounded from all sides, especially EarthClan. Lionblaze remembered the apprentice that had been killed. It had been almost two moons ago, but obviously EarthClan did not forget easily.

Icestar was silent for a moment, then a slight smile appeared on his lips. "EarthClan might have a quarrel with the strays, but ReedClan does not. Why shouldn't _we_ ask them?" Ashstar bared his teeth angrily. "You can ask," he meowed coolly, "But why should they help? They don't believe in StarClan. Why should they care if the Clans are weakened? They'll celebrate."

Shimmerfur snarled loudly, and the muttering stopped. " _Night Comes_ ," she meowed neutrally, "The StarClan was only the beginning. Maybe the strays will reconsider when they hear their kits cry in pain, and watch their warriors die."

Silence fell. Lionblaze's gaze wandered over to Nightcatcher. He saw his own fear reflected in her dark eyes. _Night Comes._ Were the Clans doomed?

Icestar's tail twitched, betraying his insecurity. "We will still try," he said, struggling to keep his voice firm. "I will set out tomorrow to tell them of this. They will have been affected as well." Ashstar hissed quietly. "They won't help us," he insisted, his green eyes filled with hate. Icestar ignored him. "The Gathering is over," he proclaimed loudly, and slid back onto the ground. "ReedClan, follow me."

Lionblaze exchanged a quick look with Flintstrike before setting off to follow his leader. "Good luck," the black tom mewed quietly, "I still hope they will listen." Lionblaze nodded curtly and turned away.

Two and two and two. He could only pray that there would be more Children in ReedClan. The idea of Nightcatcher...he hastily pushed the thought aside. The way things looked it would still be some time before anybody would leave. And who was to say they'd even still be alive by then.

 _Night Comes._


	9. Cold Words

**Cold Words**

 _Destiny smiled as she was watching the sparrow. Three more steps...two...Destiny leapt, surprising the oblivious bird mid-flight. The small creature yelled out in terror. "Help! Cat! No,_ mother _!"_

 _Destiny stumbled, and the bird flew off, leaving nothing but a paw full of feathers. Destiny stared after him. What...Had that bird just talked?_

"Destiny! There's a few Clanners who want to speak to you. Apparently there's some sort of prophecy, or whatever." Destiny shrank awake. The bird...she shook her head, irritated at herself. A dream. Nothing but a silly dream. The encounter with the bird had happened almost a moon ago, but it was still haunting her. She angrily licked her pelt.

 _Nonsense. You were tired that day; it was just your imagination._ Aside from that she had eaten at least a dozen birds since then, and none of them had talked.

She nodded. "Thanks, Faye, I'm on my way." She gave her long fur one last lick and rose to her paws, blinking at the sky. It was almost sun-high, and not a single cloud to be seen. Her black pelt felt uncomfortably hot in the crushing summer heat.

Yawning, she left her shaded place and trotted towards the small group of cats that had gathered at the riverbank. She immediately recognized the Clan cats. The muscular white tom was their leader, Froststar or something. He had three cats with him, two older toms and a younger one, about Hagen's age. Drivel and Splinter, the other Thanes were already there, together with half a dozen others. Slowly Destiny approached. She hated foreign cats, especially when they were on her territory.

But the Clan leader was obviously here to talk, not invade. "Destiny," he meowed respectfully, inclining his head slightly when he saw her. "Thank you for agreeing to see us." Drivel snorted. "If it was up to me you wouldn't be here," he meowed in a hostile voice, but nobody took any notice. Deciding the third Thaneship by age had seemed like a good idea to begin with, but it lost its appeal somewhat when the oldest cat was a noisy, foul-smelling bully who stubbornly refused to die. In this instance, however, Destiny secretly agreed with him. She had not forgetting the angry accusations from two moons ago.

"Emberpaw's death is EarthClan's concern, not ours," Icestar said, seemingly guessing her thoughts. "My matter however...well, let's just say it's complicated. Would you mind having this conversation somewhere a bit more private? Leader to leader?" Destiny looked him over, narrowing her eyes. "I am not the leader of these cats," she meowed coolly. "I merely speak on their behalf. I share that honour with Splinter and Drivel; none of us has authority over the others. And whatever you have to say, our cats have just as much right to hear it."

Icestar hesitated, and for the first time his confidence wavered. "I see," he meowed finally, slipping back into his smooth tone. "Well...Certain... _things_ have happened." He stepped aside, revealing a brown tabby tom. "Windflight?" The tom smiled, nodded towards Destiny and the others and then sped off towards the cliff. A few tail lengths away from it he jumped into the air, higher than any cat Destiny had ever seen, and landed on the stone surface, hanging vertically. Sticking to it like a lizard he crouched for a moment before starting to climb around effortlessly, upwards, sideways, down...

Destiny struggled to hide her surprise. "What-" Linus started behind her. Icestar smiled smugly, and flicked his tail at the tom, signalling him to return. "Well," he meowed simply when Windflight was once more on solid ground, now drawing many suspicious looks from the gathered cats. "That's merely a start. One of our warriors can change into an owl. The EarthClan has a two moon old kit that can hear thoughts...surely there will be some in your group as well, maybe they are already here.

Destiny shook her head, still too baffled to task. Icestar's smile flickered for a second, and now looked rather forced. "I am certain they will come," he meowed curtly. "Which brings me to the reason for my visit: What does all this mean? Well...as you might know, we are guided by StarClan, our ancestors, who visit us in our dreams to give council."

Destiny nodded slowly. She knew stories of Clan warriors that had fallen in the wars against her group only to come back to life once more. The nine lives of StarClan had been feared by all strays.

"The thing is...they are gone. Something – someone – has taken them, or rather the artefact that enables them to visit. During that process something else was called. The powers that Windflight and the others now possess. Our healers received something else, a prophecy. It predicts this, alongside darker things that will follow. It gives a way to stop them: A group of cats has to be sent into the mountains to retrieve said artefact."

He fell silent, and it took Destiny a moment to process his words. Drivel was quicker. "Why do you bore us with that crap, then?" he asked gruffly. "Is this a plea for us to be so kind as not to invade your swamp while you're gone?" He spat. "Frog-eaters." Icestar kept remarkable calm as he was sprinkled with spittle. "The prophecy speaks of six cats," he meowed calmly. "Two from each Clan. And two strays."

Destiny froze. Was he really asking... "You're asking _us_ to help you?" Splinter exclaimed, looking just as surprised. "After all those insults, all the false accusations? You're now expecting our cats to risk their lives just to solve _your_ problems?"

Anger flared up in Icestar's eyes for the first time. "They're not _our_ problems," he growled angrily. "The powers are just the beginning. What follows will be far worse. And it won't spare you just because you don't follow StarClan. You harbour Children, that's enough."

"Children?" Destiny frowned. Icestar nodded. "The Children of the Moon. It's an old legend. According to that the are the successors of Moonstar, the greatest cat who ever lived. In contrast to his Heirs, who are directly descendant from him but who have turned against StarClan."

"Moonstar?" Drivel shrugged. "Never hear of him." Destiny nodded, he sounded just like some Clan story. "Tyr," Dimitry suddenly meowed. "Tyr's Children. I know the story." Destiny turned around. Tyr? Everybody knew that story. "What's he got to do with this?"

Dmitri squirmed, obviously unhappy to be at the centre of all the attention. "My mum once mentioned that he had another name, Moonstar. His followers called him that to scorn the gods. It was a holy name, and sacrilege to wear it without right. He never called himself that."

Destiny frowned. That part was new to her. But the legend of Tyr was ancient, and who knew how many versions there were. Icestar nodded. "Moonstar is the name of a leader, and he never received StarClan's blessing. But he is still called that by us, out of respect for his deeds."

Drivel spat again, this time in the direction of the tabby tom that had scaled the cliff. "Tyr or Moonstar, it's still a fairy-tale," he said hostilely. "The cat's a skilled climber. If I was a few years younger I could do the same. You're not honestly expecting us to fall for a few silly nursery stories?"

Icestar sighed. "If it is proof you are looking for, I will gladly sent Nightcatcher. Were you also able to change into a bird when you were younger?" Drivel merely stared at him, his fur bristled. Destiny exchanged a look with Splinter, who shook her head. She rose to her paws, and motioned for the other strays to be silent. "We do believe you," she meowed calmly, ignoring her frantic heartbeat. "But Drivel is right. This is your fight, not ours. No one here has these... _powers_ , and we have no obligation towards your gods. The Clans stand alone."

For a moment Icestar held her gaze, his blue eyes boring into hers. She almost expected him to protest, but in the end he lowered his head, and the tension left. "I understand," he meowed quietly. "And it saddens. But think of this opportunity when the Heirs invade your nests, and you hear your kits die. Think of it when the Night comes." With that he turned away, taking his followers with him.

* * *

"Should I have said something?" For the first time Dmitri saw doubt in his friend's face. He shook his head. "Destiny's right, it's none of our business." Chases nodded, looking relieved. "Exactly," he repeated, more to himself than to Dmitri. "None of our business." For a moment they were silent.

"You think he's right?" Chase finally meowed. "Icestar. That there's more cats like me?" Dmitri hesitated. His mind struggled to accept something so absurd, but he couldn't ignore the climbing tom. And since Chase had started his weird divination trip Dmitri's tolerance for absurd things had risen considerably.

"I guess," he said. "Why should he have lied?" But Chase shook his head. "No, I mean here. With _us_. What if I'm not the only one? If there's others, who're also hiding?" His gaze moved over Dmitri. "You can't fly by any chance, can you?"

Dmitri snorted. "Not that I know of," he muttered, slightly distracted. His thoughts wandered to Cassandra, and the abruptness with which she had been disappearing these last few days. Could she... "Ah, whatever," Chase sigh interrupted his musings. "I think I'll give it another go. Bet you a sparrow I can talk Splinter round?"

Dmitri rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna pull you out of the river again." Chase grinned. "No worries, she's afraid of water. Nothing can go wrong. See ya!" Dmitri sighed as his friend left the small cave. He had had better hopes for this evening than rescuing his friend from the clutches of some enraged she-cat. Not that anybody cared about his plans. With a resigned twitch of his ears he rose and padded outside as well.

Out on the rocks he met Faye. "Hey!" he meowed with a smile. "Where's your sister?" It was unusual to meet one of them without the other. The small black she-cat shrugged. "She's run after Cassandra. Hunting, I think...Is he still trying?" Her eyes had found Chase, who was trailing after a visibly annoyed Splinter.

Dmitri nodded. "It'll pass," he said wistfully. "There's only so many she-cats around." Faye grinned. "If he lives that long." The thought had occurred to Dmitri as well. Splinter hadn't been made second Thane by chance. It had been moons since the last cat had died during a fight, and to be fair Jerry's death had been more of an accident. But it did happen, and strays had killed for less.

"Maybe we should step in," he meowed, slightly worried now. But Faye shrugged. "If you always help him he never learns. What has gotten in him, anyway? I've never seen him that obsessed." Dmitri paused. Faye didn't know about Chase' new gift, just as the rest of the group didn't. Would that change now that Icestar had given them ideas? Would they get suspicious?

His sudden wariness was not lost on Faye. "Seriously?" he sighed. Dmitri froze. How on earth had she guessed? "How-" Faye shook her head. "You've _got_ to stop this. Even me and Dizzy are too old for that by now!"

Dmitri stared. Too old? What the devil was she talking about?" "W-What for?" he stuttered, completely baffled. "Mud-bets," the black she-cat hissed. "You're _grown-ups_ , dammit!" Dmitri stared at her for a moment longer, then he nodded hastily. "Yeah..." He was struggling hard not to burst into laughter. _That's_ what the others were thinking? That he and Chase were still doing mud-bets? Well, in that case Chase' secret was definitely safe.

Faye looked at him for a moment longer, clearly confused by his strange behaviour. Then she shook her head, and turned away. "Come on, we'll get him out of there," she meowed and raced off. Dmitri followed her quickly, infinitely relieved. As long as Chase didn't do anything stupid he'd be safe from discovery.

Then he realized what he had just thought, and his worry returned. Of course he'd be discovered. Expecting Chase not to do anything stupid was like asking a stone not to sink when you threw it in water. Hopeless and just a tat moronic.

He sighed. Maybe he could be friends with Dark...

* * *

Nightcatcher revelled in the cool night air ruffling though her feathers. She still couldn't quite believe it. She was flying. Soaring through the air, floating above the forest, a queen of the night.

Her sharp eyes captured every detail, far better than her cat eyes ever could, and she could hear the tiny paw-steps of a mouse even from far above the treetops. She cried out happily, the low tu-whoo of an owl. As a kit she had feared it, it had sounded like an ominous warning, a dark threat. But now it was a joyous cry, delighted by her freedom, the wind in her feathers, her wings that soundlessly carried her through the night.

Nightcatcher loved the owl.

Her sharp eyes fell on a lone figure gliding through the trees beneath her. The golden pelt shone silver in the moonlight, but she recognized the red pattern as well as her own pelt. She supressed a sigh.

Lionblaze insisted on being informed whenever she was leaving on one of her night-time excursions, and always wanted to come. Yet he could never understand what it really meant to have wings, being free. She didn't want to listen to anybody, didn't want to trail after someone. She was free.

"Nightcatcher?" the golden tom below her meowed quietly when he spotted the bird above him. She ignored him. She was an owl, what did she care for the cats below, forever chained to the ground? If she didn't react Lionblaze would just think she was some other bird.

His amber eyes seemed to pierce her. "I know it's you," he sighed, sounding part exasperated, part amused. "Come on, don't do this." Nightcatcher froze mid-air, tumbling before she could catch herself again. She let out a frustrated cry and glided back to the ground. "I don't need a wet-nurse," she growled after changing back, shaking the last feathers out of her pelt with an irritated glare. A few clung to her pelt, as if the owl refused to let her go completely.

Lionblaze smiled vaguely, and flicked his tongue across her ear in affection. "You can't blame me for worrying. Up until last week you couldn't even fly properly!" Nightcatcher pressed her lips together, shooting him another glare.

She didn't really want to think about her first catastrophic attempts at flying. If it hadn't been for Lionblaze she'd have broken her neck more than once.

"Well, I can now," she meowed stubbornly. "And you can't complain about me wasting time. Last night I brought home a mouse for the fresh-kill pile." She refrained from mentioning the first mouse that had been immediately devoured by the bird. Who knew if the warrior code extended to owls as well...

Judging by the amused twinkling in Lionblaze's eyes he knew anyway. "I had no intention of doing so," he meowed, still smiling at her. "I'm just saying you should be careful. With the prophecy and everything... something dark's coming."

Nightcatcher rolled her eyes. " _Night Comes_. So what? I'd call that sundown, not Armageddon." She shrugged. "And you heard Shimmerfur, I'm one of those Children. Nothing will happen to me."

"Children of the Moon, and enemy of the Heirs," Lionblaze insisted. "They will try to attack you first. Please don't give them the opportunity." For the first time Nightcatcher met his gaze properly, and was shocked at the worry she found burning in his amber eyes. A strange fluttering rose in her stomach.

She opened her mouth to say something, but in the end changed her mind. "Alright," she muttered, still slightly irritated. "Next time I'll tell you, I promise. But doesn't the deputy have more important things to do than bird-watching?" Lionblaze's whiskers twitched humourosly. "That's what the warriors are for," he joked good-naturedly. "I just have to distribute the tasks, not actually do them." He rose to his paws, touching his nose to her forehead. "Thank you, Nightcatcher," he meowed, serious once more. "I'll feel better knowing you're safe." She returned his smile, her pelt tingling where he had touched her.

As she was walking back through the forest with him she again felt that fluttering in her stomach. She flicked her ears in annoyance, deciding to ignore it. Instead her gaze wandered upwards, to the clear night sky. The owl felt no uncertainty. The owl was her own ruler.

* * *

 **Bit of a filler, I know.** **Next chapter is when the action starts properly, so keep tuned ;)**

 **Also, the updating has slowed a little due to the huge workload I've got a university at the moment (who'd thought writing a Bachelor thesis was this exhausting?) There's also been less readers than I thought there would be, which means that the motivation to work on this rather than some of my other projects is a bit absent right now. I'll still finish it, of course, but the updating speed will probably go down to one or two chapters a week. Sorry :)  
**


	10. Blades of Death

**Blades of Death**

An angry snarl escaped Elektra's lips when the blackbird fluttered away, tweeting angrily. So close...But close didn't count, the hole in her stomach stayed and the sun was almost touching the horizon.

She turned around to look for Dark, who was sniffing a deserted mouse hole a few tail lengths away. He hadn't had any luck either, even though they had set off at sunhigh. But his face showed no sign of anger or frustration.

It didn't show anything.

Elektra could still very well remember the cheerful tom he had once been. As a young cat she'd spent a lot of time with him, even had a crush on him for a while. But that had been before...before the dog.

Almost six moon had passed since Cora and the kits had been caught unawares by the beast that had escaped its twolegs. Six moons since Dark had stood over their bloodied bodies, howling in anger and pain. Six moons, and not a single word.

Sometimes Elektra wondered if he even still had a voice. Or if the death of his mate had taken that with it as well.

But he was still her friend, and Elektra enjoyed hunting with him. He might not be the inventive marauder she had played with as a kit, but there was something soothing about his presence. And his dark blue eyes still shone with warmth, despite the sadness that clouded them. Elektra felt safe with him.

Under normal circumstances she'd never have ventured this far into the forest at the foot of the mountain, especially not now that the Clans were starting to sniff around here. But there was little that could threaten her as long as she was with Dark. The brown tom was almost twice the size of a normal cat, and incredibly strong. Elektra doubted that even a badger would dare to attack him.

"Just a bit further, don't you think? To that clearing up there? There has to be prey _somewhere_ ," she meowed cheerfully. Dark nodded and followed her. His big black paws were moving almost soundlessly across the forest floor. Elektra had always envied him for his hunting skills. She was barely half his weight, and he still caught more prey than her.

Suddenly Dark's head shot up, his ears pricked. Elektra froze. "Did you smell something?" she whispered. Dark didn't react, but his fur bristled. With a nod he motioned for her to stay back and silently started to creep forward, vanishing between the darkening trees.

Elektra hesitated. If Dark really had spotted some prey she didn't want to disturb it. But she knew him too well to miss the worry flickering through his eyes. Whatever he had sensed, it wasn't a mouse. Slowly, she started to move.

Dark turned his head, glowering at her, but Elektra ignored him. If Dark wanted her to stay, then he could tell her so. Not bloody likely.

She opened her mouth to taste the air. First there was nothing but the scents of the forest...trees, earth, tiny animals crawling below the leaves. Only then she noticed the scent of snow, coming down from the north. She frowned.

There was always snow in the mountains, even during the heat of green-leaf, but normally it was barely noticeable, rather like a memory than a real sensation. But this...Her fur bristled almost on its own accord. Something wrong, very wrong.

"Dark," she whispered, unable to keep the nervousness from her voice. "The snow – do you smell it?" He nodded pausing to look at her. Slowly, his head started to turn right, and he unsheathed his claws. Then everything happened very quickly.

A quiet hiss rang through the forest, almost inaudible. Immediately a black shadow jumped form the bush next to them, lunging at Dark with the same strange hissing noise and baring sharp white fangs. Two more fell from the trees above them. One landed directly on Dark, boring its pointed claws into his back, while the other touched down in front of Elektra, snarling at her.

Before she had even registered what was attacking her it was there, snapping at her throat. Instinct took over and she leapt back, lashing out at him. Her claws met her attacker, but it wasn't fur she was piercing but smooth skin, like that of a two-leg.

It yowled in pain but lunged itself at her again. This time she was prepared, and her claws found its face before it had reached her. Another painful cry and it retreated, giving her a short moment to breath.

Finally she could get clear look at what was attacking her. At first sight the creature that what pawing at the bloody scratches on its nose with low whimpers looked like a black cat. But it didn't have any fur, and his ears resembled the wings of a bat. Its eyes were too small as well, and too round for a cat, not to mention the strangely segmented paws, looking almost like the talons of bird. But was truly shocked her was the long blade that was protruding from the tip of its leathery tail, black, shining, and sharp as a knife.

Elektra felt ice seep into her stomach. What the hell _was_ that?

She quickly glanced towards Dark. One of his attackers was lying on the ground, his neck apparently broken, but the other one had bit down on his shoulder, its sharp tail sweeping dangerously close to the tom's throat.

Elektra had no time to help him. Her own attacker had recovered its courage and ran forward again, more careful this time. She snarled at him, thinking quickly. The creature's strong point was obviously the blade. Its claws where shorter than hers, as were its teeth. She'd just have to watch out and keep it from turning its back on her...

She leapt forward, but her opponent had learnt from its mistakes and avoided her sweeping claws. Instead it let her sped past him, lashing its tail at her as soon as her claws had missed him. Elektra howled as burning pain shot through her right side

Her opponent sensed her weakness, attacking faster now, less careful. Suddenly Elektra knew what to do.

She turned around and raced towards the nearest tree, as fast as her bleeding side would allow it. It was a thick oak with low branches. She dug her claws into the rutted bark, too weak to jump, and dragged herself upwards.

The hissing of her attacker grew louder, and she could practically feel his cold breath on her back when she finally reached the first branch and hoist herself on it. Ignoring the stinging pain and the blood now freely running down her pelt she turned around, just in time to lash out at the snout snapping at her paws. Her attacker wailed as the claws found his face again, leaving deeper gashes than before.

It fell back to its paws, angrily swinging its tail at her. But Elektra was too far up, out of its reach. It realized it and sprang forward once more. Elektra watched nervously as it made its way up the tree with surprising speed. Those strange paws had obviously been evolved to climb.

But she was ready for this. Had waited for it, in fact. Scaling the tree her attacker was vulnerable, unable to avoid her claws. She smiled grimly, and hit.

It took the first to lashes with courage, climbing upwards with a determined snarl. But when her teeth sank into its front paw it slipped, crashing down to the ground with a pained yowl. It lay there for a moment, and when it had scrambled back to its paws it didn't attack again, limping into the bushes and out of sight.

Elektra sighed in relief and lowered herself back onto the brunch, panting heavily. Her side was stinging madly where the blade had hit her, and her legs cramped from the effort of climbing the tree. Slowly she turned her head to look at Dark, who had sunk to the ground as well, the bloodied body of his second attacker still under his paws.

She noticed several deep cuts on him. "Dark? You okay?" The tom merely nodded, not turning around. The red she-cat clenched her teeth and forced herself to slowly climb down to the ground again. She didn't dare jump, for fear of injuring her leg further. Finally on solid ground again she slowly limped over to Dark, giving the dead creature whose neck Dark had broken a wide berth.

With another exhausted sigh she slumped down next to him. "What the hell _was_ that?" she meowed finally, as the reality of what had just happened caught up with her. Dark merely shrugged. Despite the deep cuts scattered over his pelt, and several missing patches of fur, he seemed largely unharmed. But he didn't look like he was planning on moving any time soon, either.

"Did you see those blades?" she muttered, shaking her head. Dark nodded soundlessly, his blue eyes unmoving. She groaned. "Seriously? You're gonna keep this no talking thing up even _now_?" Finally he turned his head, and Elektra shuddered involuntarily upon seeing the sorrowful shadow in it. It had been there for moons, and she still had trouble getting used to it. Only then she noticed that something had changed. The dark eyes were still full of sadness and devoid of any hope, but now there was something else there, too. Gratitude, and... Relief?

"Thank you" His voice was quiet, barely more than a croak, sore from the long moons of silence. But it was still full of the warmth she had missed so much. "Thank you for not giving up on me" He smiled, but it resembled more a painful grimace than an actual smile. "Now go" With a heavy pant he lifted himself to his paws, visibly struggling.

Elektra gasped in horror when she saw the bloody hole that had once been his stomach. Dark trembled, but he didn't fall down again. "Go!" he repeated, more urgent now. "More will come. I can buy you time, but not much."

Elektra shook her head, still reeling in shock. "I-I'm not gonna leave you behind!" she meowed, ignoring her churning stomach. She didn't need one of the medicine cats of the Clans to know that Dark was as good as dead.

"Elektra!" he pressed between clenched teeth, his face a mask of pain. "There's nothing you can do for me anymore. You've got to go, you've got to warn Destiny and the others!"

She hesitated. A loud hiss sounded out from somewhere between the trees, closer than she'd anticipated. Her stomach lurched when she saw the dark figures stalking through the trees, heading towards her. There were more than she could count. Her gaze met Dark's, and the brown tom smiled weakly. "Good bye, Elektra. Run." With that he turned around, facing the crowd of pointed, hate-filled faces surging towards them.

Elektra swallowed hard and finally started to run. Tears hampered her vision as she was trying to find her way back through the darkening forest, the snarls and howls of the attackers sounding out behind her. Darks voice was clearly discernible from their hissing. "Cora!" he boomed, again and again. "Cora!" Even when the yowling of the monsters had faded, his battle cry was still ringing in her ears.

Then it died too, and she was alone. Her flank hurt like hell and she could barely feel her leg. But she staggered onwards, further and further, expecting the monsters to catch up with her any second.

Surely the valley couldn't be this far away?

Dark...However much she tried to supress it, he kept appearing in front of her inner eyes, the red blood flowing from his wound, his face white in pain. _Good bye, Elektra_. Tears filled her eyes once more, and the forest in front of her started to blur. Dark...

She didn't noticed the attacker until it sprang out in front of her, blocking her way with a murderous hiss. Only then she realized that the cold scent had returned, coupled with the menacing snarls of her pursuers.

A quick look over her shoulder showed that the other attackers were still at least a hundred fox lengths away from her. She turned around again, just in time to dodge a murderous swipe of the blade tail. Her opponent stumbled, losing his balance through the force of his own blow, and Elektra used her chance to bite down hard on his hind leg, felling him completely.

She put all of her pain and anger into the bite, and only let go when she hurt a menacing crack, emitting a pitiful whimper from the monster. Then she quickly stepped back and flew around, starting to race towards the valley once more. Twenty more tail lengths. She could do it.

She yowled in pain when sharp teeth pierced her wounded leg. The fallen attacker had somehow managed to drag himself around, and was now clamping down on her himself, crashing her to the ground as well. Ending her chance of escaping.

They rolled across the floor, hissing and lashing out at each other, ripping at fur and skin. Elektra managed to snap his tail at the base of the blade. It flapped uselessly, attached only by a few inches of skin and spraying hot blood over both of them. But in return the monster rammed its claws deeply into her belly, cutting through fur and flesh. Elektra cried out when red-hot pain shot through her.

Dark's stomach came back to her mind, nothing but a red ruin. Deep down she knew that hers didn't look much better. But she refused to give in and fought on, ripping his leathery ears with her fangs. The other pursuers were less than ten tail lengths away now, but she didn't even notice them anymore.

Her world was reduced to a swirling storm of pain and blood, claws and fang, skin and fur. White bone shone through where she had torn open the monster's leg, and she could feel her life seep out through her stomach. But she fought on, knowing that she couldn't win.

If she died, she wanted to take at least one of the bastards with her. On and on they rolled over the leaf-covered forest floor, snarling, howling, dying. Suddenly something else appeared in the corner of her eyes, something that didn't fit into her world of pain and monsters.

An enormous, golden brown figure stepped out between the monsters, who scurried away from him, clearing a path towards her. For a mad moment she thought it was Dark, that he had somehow survived and had returned to save her. But the glittering eyes that met her now were golden, not blue, and when it opened its mouth the same hissing noise that the monsters made came out.

The pursuers paused, and for a moment her opponent did, too. And then there was suddenly nothing, and she was falling, falling, falling...

* * *

Destiny awoke with a start. It was the middle of the night, and thick clouds covered the sky. Only here and there a few stars shone through, dimly illuminating the gorge.

An owl called in the distance, but that wasn't what had woken her. Something else was in the air, a quiet whisper, like wind driving through trees. But the air was still, with not so much as a breeze to be felt. Destiny sat up, pricking her ears curiously. The sound seemed to come from the north. Sometimes one could hear avalanches tumbling down the mountains. But not this far into leaf green. And not this close.

Destiny rose, careful not to wake any of the others. Chase twitched in his sleep and kicked at some invisible foe, but he always did that. Nobody else seemed to notice the strange noise. Cautiously she started to move north, towards the strange sound.

It grew louder, and after a few tail lengths she realized that it wasn't buzzing, but voices. Howling and screams from dozens of cats. Destiny felt her blood run cold. She remembered the angry Clan leader that had arrived two months ago. They'd be able to manage against one Clan – but what if the other one had joined them after the strays had refused to help with that prophecy? Had the Clans decided to get rid of the strays once and for all?

She stood at the foot of the cliff with fear gripping at her heart, unable to move, unable to raise the alarm. The screeches and yowls grew louder and louder; they had to be directly at the edge now. Destiny shuddered. What kind of cat sounded like _that_?

And then she saw them. Two figures, tiny from down here, tumbling over the edge, locked in combat even while falling. For a moment everything was silent as they fell, almost in slow motion. Then the screams started up once more, louder this time. The figures screamed as well, screeching in fear in their long, inevitable journey downwards. Destiny snapped her eyes shut, but she still heard the terrible sound of something breaking as they hit the ground.

She swallowed hard, opening her eyes once more and searching the cliff top. For a moment she thought she saw a large, golden cat standing between the trees, but then she blinked and it was gone. Even the eerie howling had stopped. The valley was completely silent once more.

Destiny hesitated a moment before she started running. Behind her there were confused voices as the other cats finally woke from the noise, but Destiny ignored them, racing across the stepping stones that led to the other side of the river.

The closer she got, the further her heart sank. One was barely recognizable, half buried in the hazel bush it had landed in. The other was definitely a cat – and it looked terribly familiar.

"Elektra," she gasped, coming to a stand in front of the shattered body. What she saw made her stomach churn. The she-cat looked as if she had been dead before falling down the cliff. Her fur was hanging in shreds, and one of her hind legs was torn off almost completely. Her belly looked as if a badger had eaten from it, and its contents were spread over the surrounding rocks.

She stared at the corpse in silence, fighting tears and bile rising in her stomach. Only when the other cats started to arrive their shocked mews shook her out of her shock. "Have the kits stay back," she meowed quickly, struggling to keep her voice from trembling. "They shouldn't see this."

Reed nodded without a word, quickly herding off her three kits back towards the river, ignoring their protests. Behind her, Chase violently emptied his stomach on a rock, and even Splitter seemed shocked at the sight. "What happened?" she asked tonelessly.

Destiny shook her head. "No idea. There was something at the top of the cliff. I heard voices...lots of voices. She wasn't alone, there was someone else falling with her. They were fighting." She pointed to the hazel bush with her tail tip, not really wanting to go closer for fear of what she might find.

"She was out hunting with Dark," Dizzy meowed quietly. Destiny paused, looking at the terrible injuries on Elektra's pelt. Why would they have been fighting? And who had it been on top of the cliff?

A snort sounded from behind her. "Doesn't look like Dark," Drivel growled from where he had started to pull the second body out of the branches. "Doesn't look like anything, actually-" He stared blankly at the corpse in front of him Destiny felt her fur bristle. "By the gods-" Splitter whispered.

Destiny didn't say anything, silently staring at the strange creature in front of her. "I think it's time we visited Icestar," she finally meowed. "And tell him that we will help the Clans."


	11. Alliance

**Alliance**

Sorrelpaw sighed. "Can I join you and Windflight? Lionblaze's still sleeping," she meowed in a resigned tone, passing over the magpie they were sharing to Whisperpaw. The dappled she-cat looked at her, surprised. "I thought he's always super punctual?" Sorrelpaw shrugged. "Dunno. He's been getting up really late these past few days. No idea what he's doing at night that makes him this sleepy." Whisperpaw's whiskers twitched. "Do you reckon Nightcatcher knows?" she asked with a grin. Sorrelpaw returned it, if only shortly. The relationship between the deputy and the black warrior was an open secret in ReedClan.

"Well, good for him, but I'd really like to get my warrior name at some point," she frowned, rising to her paws. "So can I come?" Whisperpaw nodded. "Sure. Darkpaw'll be there as well, 'cos Sandwhisker's on the dawn patrol, but I don't think Windflight will mind." Sorrelpaw made a face. She had never been very fond of the ash grey apprentice, and he didn't like her much either. "Oh, well," she meowed wistfully as she followed her friend, "We can still throw him into a stream."

As he was leading them towards the fish bay, Windflight threw longing looks towards the trees in the north of their territory. Apparently he missed the climbing quite a bit. But Icestar had ordered him and Nightcatcher to stay away from the borders while things were still unresolved with EarthClan, apparently expecting Ashstar to take affront at his attempt to talk to the strays.

Sorrelpaw remembered Boldheart, the big EarthClan tom who had been so angry at the Gathering. Larchpaw had told her that he was the murdered apprentice's father. No wonder he was so furious. But she still hoped the other EarthClanners were more prepared to forget. Because even if the strays had killed that apprentice, there was no changing it now. And she believed Shimmerfur when the medicine cat had warned them that all three of the groups were needed to save StarClan.

"Alright. Darkpaw, you go first," Windflight suggested when they finally reached the fish bay. It wasn't really much of a bay but rather a slightly broader part of the stream. But there were a lot of fish, searching the calmer water for food. And becoming food in the progress.

Sorrelpaw licked her lips. Unlike Whisperpaw, she quite liked fish. As if on cue, her friend complained. "Why can't we hunt rabbits? There's not much to eat on those tiny slime things anyway." Sorrelpaw's whiskers twitched but she didn't answer, instead watching Darkpaw, who was hovering above the water, not moving a muscle.

She wasn't sure what to think about the tom. There wasn't much she really knew about him, since he rarely talked. Shimmerfur had found him a few months ago, completely abandoned and barely older than a kit. Apparently his parents had died, or at least that's what he'd told them. They'd been strays, on their way south.

But that was all there was to know. He kept to himself, treating others in a cold manner that bordered on arrogance and made Sorrelpaw bristle with irritation every time she was forced to interact with him. It was like he thought himself something better than they, and talking to them beneath his dignity.

Thus she felt rather smug when she noticed how he was leaning forward too much, letting his shadow fall onto the water and frightening off the fish. _Amateur._ Windflight noticed the apprentice's mistake as well. "Watch out, they can see you. Try to keep the sun to your site, then your shadow will be on the shore and not the water," he advised pleasantly, if somewhat distracted. His eyes were already drifting back towards the trees up north.

Darkpaw didn't reply, changing his position with an icy frown. But the irritated twitch of his tail tip showed that he had indeed noticed Sorrelpaw's smirking. _Good._ "Come, we'll go a bit upstream," she meowed loudly to Whisperpaw. "This'll take a while."

The ash grey tom stared after them angrily as they padded off. "Why do you keep doing this?" Whisperpaw asked when they were out of hearing range, shaking her head. "He didn't even say anything. You'll never make friends like this." Sorrelpaw shrugged. "I don't like his attitude," she replied simply. "And you're one to talk about being social. When was the last time you talked to anybody except Duskstrike or Windflight?"

The golden brown she-cat flattened her ears. "At least I'm not picking on younger apprentices," she defended herself stubbornly. Sorrelpaw didn't bother with a reply, crouching down close to the water instead.

The current was stronger here, but the stones on the other shore forced the fish to swim closer to her than they usually would, and she would be able to reach any that passed her. She stared at the water in concentration, searching for the familiar silver flash of sunlight reflected on scales. Whisperpaw sat a little behind her, not even bothering to try and catch anything. Instead she continued their talk.

"It was the same thing with Larchpaw last week. She was simply happy about her first prey. What's wrong with that?" Sorrlepaw snorted, not moving her gaze from the water. "Happy?" she repeated mockingly. "She was acting as if she'd caught a fox. And you saw how upset Oakpaw was. I was just trying to cheer him up." She threw a crooked grin over her shoulder, but Whisperpaw was unimpressed.

"That's not how it works. You can't be nice to people by being mean to others. Nobody would thank you for it." Sorrelpaw shrugged, once more fixated on her hunt. "Dunno. I'd thank you if you'd throw Darkpaw into the stream."

A silver flash in the corner of her eye, and Sorrelpaw struck. Water splashed, and for a second she felt slippery scales between her claws. Then the fish slipped out of her grasp, vanishing back into the stream with a loud splash. Sorrelpaw swore, and realized angrily that she had leaned too far over the water as well.

This conversation was distracting her. "Would you mind shutting up for a second? I gotta catch a fish before Darkpaw does." The golden she-cat snorted irritably but complied. Sorrelpaw felt a twinge of guilt at snapping at her friend like that, but she forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand.

She stared at the stream once more, her silver paw raised, ready to strike. But the next fish spotted her in time as well, just as the one after that. She swore again. The sun was directly behind her, making it practically impossible to keep her shadow on the shore. She had to be less obtrusive, blend into the surroundings...

Whisperpaw gasped. "Sorrelpaw-" The white she-cat hissed. "Not now," she growled in concentration. The next one... "Sorrelpaw, really..." The fish sped away. Angrily the white apprentice spun around. "What?"

She froze.

Whisperpaw was barely visible, hidden behind a thick fog. "Whisperpaw? What's going on?" She stared back at the other shore, which was still perfectly clear. When she turned back around the mist was dissolving, disappearing just as suddenly as it had come.

Whisperpaw came into sight, her eyes wide in shock. "You...You...that stuff came _out of you_!" she yelped, still frozen in shock. "Just...Just like that! How did you do it?"

Sorrelpaw stared at her. _Out of her?_ Yes, how indeed? She frowned. Then she pressed her eyes closed and tried to imagine the mist, a thick, impenetrable fog...

Whisperpaw gasped once more, and when Sorrelpaw opened her eyes she was once more surrounding by a thick wall of mist. She quickly shook herself and it disappeared.

For a moment they simply stood, looking at each other incredulously. "Does that mean..." Whisperpaw finally began, rather hesitantly. "That you're one of them as well? A Child?" Sorrelpaw swallowed. Yes...what _did_ this mean?

* * *

Icestar purred, burying his muzzle in Smokeheart's thick fur. "Of course we're not telling anybody," he meowed quietly, more to himself than the black she-cat. "We can't risk that..." Shimmerfur's prophecy came back into his mind, and its unsettling last lines.

No. The thought of sending Smokeheart to some chilly mountain was unspeakable. Apart from that, he had no clue how her abilities should be of any use up there. Down here, however...

Smokeheart flicked her tongue over his muzzle and disentangled herself from him. "Thank you, Icestar. I knew you'd understand." She smiled, the warm, wonderful smile he loved so much. But it quickly vanished. "I've got to go. Lionblaze insists I do the sun high patrol," she sighed, rising to her paws elegantly. " _Again_. Can't you tell him to leave me alone? It's far too hot out there this time of year. Especially with my fur."

Icestar's muzzle twisted in disdain. It was true, Lionblaze was far too demanding when it came to Smokeheart. But he couldn't afford to have the deputy against him, not with things being as uncertain as they were now. And much less while that insolent upstart had Nightcatcher on his side.

Rather useless under normal circumstances, the black she-cat had earned a lot of respect among the Clan due to her being one of those strange Children. Better to wait a little with moving against Lionblaze.

"I'll sort it out," he promised, licking her ears as a farewell. "As soon as I can." Smokeheart beamed at him before padding outside, into the searing heat of summer.

Icestar stayed in his den, deep in thought. _Three, then,_ he thought grimly. _EarthClan still had two more. And if we really do send Windflight and Nightcatcher away..._ He hesitated. Was this prophecy just a trick of EarthClan? An attempt to get rid of their strongest cats so they could invade more easily?

It couldn't be, after all Shimmerfur had received it as well. Unless...No.

Icestar thought it rather unlikely the medicine cat would simply betray her Clan. He knew the silver cat since childhood. And even though he'd never liked her much he was still certain that she was not a traitor. Anything else, maybe. But betraying ReedClan? No.

The entrance of another cat interrupted his thoughts. At first he thought is was Smokeheart, having somehow gotten out of the patrol duty, but it was only Owlfeather. "Icestar," the young warrior meowed nervously. "There's someone who wants to talk to you. A stray. I'm not sure what she is, some sort of deputy I think."

Icestar rolled his eyes. "Thane. And all three of them have the same rank," he informed the other tom with an impatient flick of his tail. He shouldn't have moved him to the warrior's den after all; that cat was dim as a vole. "Let her in, and go wake up Lionblaze." Owlfeather nodded hastily, hitting his head on his way out. Hopeless.

Icestar ignored his misgivings about the newest warrior and went back to the matter at hand, frowning. Had the strays changed their minds after all? And if they had, what did that mean for their alliance with EarthClan? Ashstar had made it more than clear what he thought about joining forces with the strays, yet surely he'd have just as much interest in fulfilling the prophecy as they did?

The cat that now entered his den had light brown tabby fur with a few white stripes in between, and looked vaguely familiar, although he couldn't quite remember her name. Shard, maybe? He rose and inclined his head slightly. "Welcome to ReedClan." The cat returned the nod, quite clearly feeling uncomfortable in this surrounding. "I am Splinter, second Thane of the strays," she meowed loudly, obviously trying to hide her insecurity.

Icestar nodded. "I remember you. I am Icestar, leader of ReedClan as you certainly know, and this-" he motioned to the golden warrior who was now bursting into the den, pieces of moss still clinging to his scruffy pelt, "is Lionblaze, my deputy. Who apparently doesn't think much of grooming himself."

He threw an annoyed look at the other tom's dishevelled appearance. One would have thought he'd have the decency to at least look presentable when talking to potential allies, if he insisted on being late already.

Lionblaze only threw him a short glance before turning towards Splinter. "I am honoured to meet you," he said calmly, if slightly out of breath. The tabby she-cat nodded wordlessly before turning back to Icestar.

"Two of our cats were murdered last night," she began without wasting any more time on pleasantries. Icestar stiffened, but her voice was sober, and there was no hint of enmity in her eyes. "By creatures that are...different from anything we've ever seen. One of them fell into the gorge with Elektra, and we found half a dozen more up in the forest, with Dark. Apparently he was trying to help her escape."

She was silent for a moment and now Icestar could clearly see the shock that was still in her expression. But she gathered herself quickly. "To make it short: We decided to help the Clans," she meowed firmly, "In the fight against whatever those things are."

Silence fell. "I...I am glad you changed your mind," Icestar finally meowed. "As saddened as I am by your friends' deaths. It is good to know you realized that only together we hold a chance to survive."

Splinter threw him a hostile look. "We don't intent to ally with you. All we will do is try to find the two Children you need for that prophecy," she replied coolly. Icestar stiffened, and nodded curtly. "I understand," he said, equally cool. "May I inquire if you have spoken to EarthClan?"

Splinter threw him a suspicious look before nodding. "Destiny is with them now. She suggested we meet at moon high by the Stone circle. That's how you people do it, isn't it?" Icestar nodded as well, his thoughts already with Ashstar and how he would react to the news. "Yes," he muttered absently. "It is...We will be there."

"Alright. I will see you tonight," Splinter meowed, making to leave. Icestar merely nodded again, leaving it to Lionblaze to see her out.

So the strays had changed their mind...He'd really like to know what kind of creature could make cats as stubborn as that do so. Once more he was glad about the fact that ReedClan was shielded from the mountains by the territories of EarthClan and the strays.

* * *

Spiderfur was sharing a dove with Timberpelt when Shadepaw came bursting out of the apprentice's den. "A stray! A stray invaded our territory!"

Spiderfur leapt to her paws. A stray in the apprentice's den? Her brother was on his paws as well, his claws unsheathed, and Ashstar, who had been talking to Raincloud at the entrance of his den spun around. "What?" Mistpaw came stumbling after the black apprentice, looking just as confused as the rest of them. "No idea! She just started screaming all of a sudden!" he stammered, utterly bewildered.

Amberkit was the first to understand. "Hollypaw," he said simply. "Their connection." Spiderfur turned towards the small kit, who was standing next to the elders den with his sister Cloudkit. "Can you hear what's going on?" she asked, curious despite the shock. Amberkit nodded, but before he could answer Shadepaw herself spoke up.

Her eyes were glazed over, as if she was seeing something the rest of them didn't. "It's just one...Destiny...she says she just wants to talk. Something about Icestar, and the prophecy. Somebody was killed."

Spiderfur felt her blood run cold. "Somone from EarthClan?" Ashstar asked immediately, standing directly in front of the apprentice now. She shook her head. "No, a stray. Two of them. By some creatures. They...they are bringing her here."

The dark leader narrowed his eyes. "Who else is on that patrol? Aside from Hollypaw and Dewfeather? Echoflight, right?" Shadepaw nodded, still without actually looking at him. "Yes. And Desertstorm."

Ashstar flicked his ears. "That should be enough. Still," he motioned to Flintstrike, who had emerged from the warriors den halfway through the commotion. "Go to the border and see if any more show up. Take two warriors with you." The black warrior nodded, signing for Timberpelt to follow him. Frostspark joined them as well. Spiderfur's brother flicked his tongue over her ear in goodbye. "Tell me what happens, will you?" With that, the three cats were gone.

Spiderfur nodded mechanically. Worry for her brother came over her in an instant. If the strays really had killed Emberpaw, then they would not stop before a warrior. And if this was a trap...

Before she had finished the thought the patrol was entering the cave. Echoflight's fur was bristled and her fangs bared, just as Dewfeather's. Desterstorm was dragging a small she-cat behind him who was furiously struggling to free herself. Spiderfur recognized her at once; it was Destiny, the stray's leader.

Her arrival was met with hostile snarls. Boldheart appeared behind Ashstar as she was brought into the centre of the cave, and Shadowfang was desperately trying to keep him from lunging at the prisoner. "Murderer! Foxheart!" he growled furiously.

Ashstar silenced him with a short hiss. "We will not harm our guest," he meowed loudly, motioning for Deserstorm to release the she-cat. But the look he was giving her was filled with contempt, and his voice was deathly cold.

"May I asked what is the reason for your... _visit_?" he meowed with narrowed eyes. Destiny straightened. Anger burnt in her eyes, but beneath that Spiderfur could also sense fear. The small stray was afraid of them.

"I come in peace," Destiny finally said. "As an ambassador of the strays. I do not want to cause you harm, and I expect the same in return." "Tell that to Emberpaw!" Echoflight spat, voice trembling with anger, "Tell that to my dead daughter!"

Destiny turned around, giving the black warrior a long look. "I know what it means to lose a kit," she finally meowed in a quiet voice, the rest of the cats apparently forgotten. "And I swear to you, the strays had no part on Emberpaw's death. I believe I know who did, however. And I want to avenge my dead just as much as you do yours."

Echoflight was silent, but the hostility in her eyes stayed. "What do strays know about loving ones children?" Desertstorm muttered dismissively. "You value your kits about as much as a piece of fresh-kill."

The way Destiny flinched it was clear that she had heard the sandy tom. Her claws flashed, and for a moment Spiderfur expected her to attack him. But then a shiver went through her body, and she turned back towards Ashstar.

"Two of our cats were murdered," she meowed calmly, as if nothing had happened. The trembling in her voice wasn't hard to miss, though. "And the killers were creatures that we have never seen before. When Icestar came to us asking for help, he was speaking of a night that would come. We believe that it is those creatures."

A murmur went through the crowd. "Lies!" Boldheart snarled angrily, "She's just making up some nonsense to get out of the blame." But Lightfur shook her head. "It is true," she meowed quietly. "The smell when Emberpaw...the scent was different from anything I knew. The strays I would have recognized, but that...it smelled like...like..."

"Cold," Destiny finished calmly. "Icy cold." She visibly shuddered at the memory. Towards Boldheart she added: "We found enough of their bodies. If you want proof, come to our camp. Or go to the forest, north of the ravine. Dark killed at least half a dozen of them before he...before he died."

Spiderfur noticed that Desitny was barely talking to Ashstar. No warrior or even leader of a foreign Clan had dared to simply address some warriors instead of formally speaking to the leader. But apparently things were different with the strays. Was she even their leader? Or was she just some sort of speaker?

Ashstar frowned. "From your words I gather that you suggest an alliance?" he meowed slowly, his voice still cool. But his eyes flashed with curiosity. Hope.

Destiny nodded slowly, a puzzled look appearing on her face. "Not suggesting...Agreeing. Icestar came to us a week ago, he...I thought he was speaking on behalf of both the Clans." Again angry hisses were heard, even louder this time. The anger towards the strays was only surpassed by the generation-long antipathy for ReedClan.

"Icestar speaks for his own Clan, and not a cat more," Ashstar pressed between gritted teeth, "he had no right to offer you an alliance with both Clans." His voice grew softer once more. "But I was aware of his intention. And I do agree with its necessity. If we are to fulfil the prophecy, we need two of your cats."

He lowered his head for a moment, then exchanged a look with Honeypool, who had remained silent so far. The golden she-cat nodded, and Ashstar turned towards Destiny once more. "We agree to this alliance," he meowed loudly, ignoring he angry howls from Boldheart and others. "But only as long as it is necessary. And I demand so see one of those creatures."

Destiny held his gaze for a few seconds, as if assessing him. Then she nodded curtly. "Agreed. We will be at the stone circle tonight at moon high. We will bring the body." Ashstar looked at her a while longer, and seemed to want to say something, but then he changed his mind. "Desterstorm, Dewfeather, escort her back towards the border. If you see Flintstrike and the others, tell them to come back. And tell him to come to my den."

"You have to tell them!" Dmitri urged his friend once more. But Chase remained stubborn. "I don't want to trudge up some stupid mountain; I'm not a hobbit! I hate cold, and anyway, I can barely climb the ravine. How am I supposed to get up a bloody mountain?"

Dmitri rolled his eyes. Almost two hours had passed since Splinter had come back from ReedClan, and a few minutes ago Destiny had returned as well. It was settled; they'd meet the Clans tonight.

And they still didn't have a single cat that showed any signs of those wondrous abilities Icestar had talked about.

Or rather, not a single cat that _admitted_ it. Because Dmitri suspected that Chase wasn't the only one hiding something. Cassandra cameback into his mind, and the recent abruptness of her comings and goings. He sighed.

"Come on. We need two Children to go on this journey. Or even more cats will die!"Chase flattened his ears stubbornly. "Climbing's exhausting. Why don't _you_ go? We could act like you had my ability. If I stand next to you, and whisper it into your ear..."

For a mad moment Dmitri actually considered this suggestion. Then he shook his head. _You really must be desperate, if you're willing to listen to_ Chase _of all cats..._ "Come on. If you start, maybe others will reveal themselves as well. And there were these lines; maybe you're not even in it. EarthClan have five Children, and they don't all have to go."

Chase dragged his claws across the rock they were sitting on, a sourly expression on his face. It made an awful grating sound, but Dmitri smiled nonetheless. Chase was in a bad mood, which meant that he had won. Now it was just a question of payment.

"How much?" he sighed quietly. Chase stared after a fly with an expression so bitter as if every last one of his troubles was the insect's fault. "Three birds," he meowed after a short consideration. "And you mention my bravery and selflessness towards Laila. And how I might never return. That should stop her from remembering that...conversation we had."

Dmitri rolled his eyes. "We don't know if you're even going. And even if you do, you'll definitely come back. Out of sheer spite, to make my life miserable." Chase grinned. "You're right. I'm totally safe." He jumped to his paws, his mood miraculously improved. "I'll go talk to Destiny. And I want to see food when I come back! Or you'll taste mud!"

Dmitri watched him leave, shaking his head. Not even Elektra and Dark's death had managed to unsettle him. Sometimes he wondered if Chase was just acting, or if he really did not worry about anything.

Then he remembered the mud and their agreement, and he hastily raced off. Three birds... He could only hope that Chase would take a long time explaining.

* * *

The clear night sky was devoid of any clouds, stars sparkling down. The pale silvery moon hung above the tree tops, illuminating the ravine. The air was completely still, and only the chirping of crickets disturbed the silence.

The rocks in the middle of the ravine were deserted. Usually they were populated by at least a dozen cats, but tonight nothing stirred. A soft glow came from the rocks at the end of the ravine, almost like that of a fire. But nothing moved, and there was no smoke rising. Instead it looked like a star had fallen towards the ground, exactly in the middle of the stone circle. An owl called, drowning out the crickets for a moment, before silence descended once more.

The figure at the other end of the ravine, half buried under a pile of lose rocks, stirred. A few smaller stones rolled over, larger ones shifted. From under them emerged a red she-cat. Her dark green eyes glowed in the moonlight as she was looking around, scrutinizing her surroundings. Then, a small smile crept onto her face.

"Immortal," Elektra whispered. "Look at that."


	12. Planning

**Planning**

Destiny felt the nervousness creeping up on her. She could still feel the EarthClan warrior's fangs in her pelt. The hate that had filled their eyes. She had expected it, after all that trouble with the dead kit. But that still hadn't really prepared her.

 _It's just words,_ she told herself, _they can't hurt you._ That's what she had thought when the other tom had come. And then he had taken Moon from her.

And Destiny had learned to fear claws more than words.

She shook her head. _They are warriors. They might hate us, but they have their laws. They have their honour._ And they were significantly better at keeping to their laws than the strays were. _They will honour the truce._

But then she remembered the hate and contempt on the black she-cat's face, and her doubts returned.

 _Maybe it's better once I..._ She hesitated. She didn't even know if it was true. Let alone wether she was chosen to go.

 _If the alternative's_ Chase _..._

The tom's admission had surprised her more than anything else. She'd expected anybody but him. That it had to be him of all cats to get this power, he, who couldn't take anything or anyone seriously...It really hadn't been a big surprise to hear he'd been using it for mischief.

Others might have tried to do good, to help other cats. But Chase...it just wasn't fair. But then, life was rarely ever fair. It wasn't fair that Elektra had died, not fair that Dark's sacrifice had been for nothing. Not fair that the strays were paying the price for the war between some Clan gods.

"It's not fair." "What?" Splitter's confused voice made her flinch, and Destiny realized with a jolt that she had uttered her last thought aloud. "I...nothing," she muttered, drifting back into her thoughts.

They had almost reached the stone circle, the meeting place of the Clans. The moon shone brightly down from the sky, but its light was drowned out by the one that appeared to be coming from between the stones. _The tom that glows._ Apparently EarthClan had already arrived.

She turned around to Linus and Hagen, who were dragging the strange creature's body behind them. "You go first. They should see at once that we were telling the truth," she meowed quietly.

The golden tom and his son obeyed. Her gaze drifted further towards Chase, who was practically shoved forwards by Dmitri. "Ready?" The brow tom visibly swallowed. "Not really."

The made a face. "Same here. Let's go." And together they stepped between the stones, towards the Clan cats.

* * *

Honeypool craned her neck to see the arriving cats, but none of the strays seemed to have such striking abilities as Foxpelt. There was still an audible gasp when more cats stepped into the circle, dragging something behind them.

"Great StarClan," Flintstrike whispered next to her, and Honeypool felt a chill creep into her bones. Even in the bright shine of Foxpelt's fur it was difficult to recognize what the creature had originally looked like. Countless wounds littered its skin, and one leg was missing, just like the tip of its tail. But what she could see was more than enough to make her fur stand on end.

The slender golden tom that had carried the body dropped something else from his jaws, a strangely flat blade, about a mouse length long. The dark crimson spots were unmistakable. "That was attached to its tail," the tom meowed curtly before walking back to sit between the other strays.

For a moment there was silence. Then a small black she-cat stepped forward. Destiny. "This is the creature that killed Elektra. It came from up north, from the mountains. I am certain that it was one of them that killed Emberpaw."

Boldheart quickly made his way towards the front of the crowd. He stopped in front of the body, staring down at the remains. After a short pause he raised his head, looking at Ashstar. "I know I'm no Child of the Moon," he meowed slowly, a cold glint in his eyes. "But I ask for your permission to join the chosen cats when the times come. I want to avenge her myself."

Ashstar took a moment to react, obviously still shaken at the sight in front of him. "We'll talk about that later," he finally meowed. "But I'm afraid the prophecy speaks of six, not seven cats." Now Icestar rose, seemingly bored with the conversation. If he felt shock at the creature's sight he did not show it. "Which brings us to the actual reason for this Gathering," he meowed with an impatient flick of his tail. "Choosing the six."

Boldheart looked like he was about to protest, but Flintstrike urged him backwards, motioning him to keep silent. All eyes wandered towards the strays. Destiny seemed reluctant to speak once more, but after a short nudge from the tabby beside her she stepped forwards once more.

"We a not certain about the gifts on our group," she meowed, exchanging a glance with the brown-grey tom sitting at her other side, surveying the Clan cats with a curious look on his face.

"Chase here can see other cats' memories in their eyes," Destiny continued, "he's been able to do so for a while, although he kept it secret until now." She looked at the gathered cats nervously. Some craned their necks to see better, others quickly averted their eyes. Others just sat there, silently waiting.

"That is all?" Icestar finally growled, narrowing his eyes when she did not continue. Quickly Destiny shook her head. "No. There's another...well, I'm not sure. But I think I can understand what animals say."

Honeypool stared at her in surprise. Chase' ability resembled that of Amberkit or maybe Hollypaw and Shadepaw. But this... she hadn't even known that small creatures like birds or mice even had anything resembling a language.

"What's that supposed to mean, you're not sure?" ReedClan's leader asked now, clearly getting impatient. Destiny lowered her head sheepishly. "It worked once, a moon ago, but not since. But then it did again, yesterday. When I caught a mouse I could hear what it was saying. Or screaming, really. It wasn't happy, obviously."

Icestar crooked his head. "Probably just spent too much time in the sun," Desertstorm scoffed, and some laughed with him. But before anybody could say anything else a dark figure shot from the crowd and flew up one of the rocks. A tabby ReedClan apprentice yelped in shock. "Owl!" "That's Nightcatcher, moron," another snarled exasperated. Nightfrost, who had come with Amberkit, had leapt to her paws as well but was quickly calmed by Lionblaze, and silence descended once more.

Everyone was looking at the owl, whose amber eyes were fixed on Destiny. Then she let out a series of soft squawks, which actually did sound like some sort of sentence. Destiny seemed to understand perfectly. "Yes," she answered the owl. "Me too."

Without another word the owl flew to the ground, changing back into the black she-cat. "It's true," she meowed curtly, shaking a few remaining feathers from her pelt. "She can understand owls, at least." With that she went to sit back down next to Lionblaze.

Honeypool looked at Destiny thoughtfully. She couldn't quite fathom how that ability should be useful. Cats had to kill in order to survive; it was a simple fact of life. What good was there in listening to ones prey's last anguished words?

Icestar nodded as soon as silence had descended once more. "Looks like we have two, then. There was another new gift in our Clan as well. Sorrelpaw can call fog." All heads turned towards the white apprentice, out of whose fur promptly crept a few wisps of mist. Shimmerfur had mentioned her once or twice, Honeypool remembered; according to her Sorrelpaw was the only decent apprentice ReedClan had at the moment. Not that Shimmerfur's opinion generally was something to adhere to.

Ashstar examined the she-cat for a moment before nodding as well. "I am glad to hear it. Now, I think, it is time for the medicine cats to tell us the rest of the prophecy, so that we can decipher its meaning."

Shimmerfur and Honeypool stepped forward together. "Alright, same rules as before," the ReedClan healer growled at once. "No crying. The same goes for you." She threw a warning look towards the strays, who seemed confused rather than intimidated. Honeypool sighed. No. Shimmerfur would never learn.

Deciding to take over before the strays would change their mind about helping them, she forced a smile on her face. "I thank you all for coming. As you know, two cats are needed from teach Clan. We have a vague description for five of them, but we will have to guess the last one."

"As long as I don't have to go," Foxpelt muttered, looking worried once more. The rest was silence, and Honeypool exchanged a quick look with Shimmerfur before reciting the first verse. " _He who sees nothing and everything_."

A murmur went through the crowd. Some faces showed bewilderment, on others realization dawned, especially among the EarthClan cats. Honeypool swallowed, avoiding looking in Amberkit's direction. Ever since she had learned of his gift this verse had gone through her mind, refusing to leave her. Up until now she had hoped that there would be someone else among ReedClan or the strays, someone who might also fit the description. But there was no one, and the words were unmistakable.

Nightfrost realized that as well. "No," she mewed at once, fear and determination in her voice. She moved in front of Amberkit, shielding him from the looks that were part sympathy part grim determination. "Out of the question. He's a _kit_!"

Nobody dared speak. "No, you can't...StarClan would never ask that! Please, Ashstar, you can't allow it!" The grey leader looked at his front paws. Instead it was Icestar who spoke.

"Nobody here likes it," he growled harshly. "But we all have to make sacrifices if we are to life. And it is clearly Amberkit the prophecy is speaking about. Do you really want to save him, condemning countless other kits to die in his stead?"

Nightfrost bared her teeth, snarling at him. Now Flinstrike stepped forward. "He will not go alone," he meowed softly. "The other warriors will protect him. And Amberkit is wise beyond his age. He will come back safely."

The black queen stared at the deputy in disbelief. "How can you side with them? How can you ask me to give up my kit?" There was so much pain, so much anger and desperation in her voice that Honeypool half expected her to attack Flintstrike.

But before anybody could do anything else, the small tom himself emerged between his mother's front legs. At the sight of his milky eyes, which seemed to shine despite his blindness, the gathered cats fell silent at once.

Amberkit sat down in front of his mother. "I think I should have a say in this," he meowed in his confusingly adult voice. Somebody made to protest but Amberkit raised the tip of his tail in warning – a rather pathetic gesture considering his size. "You don't have to say anything. I can hear you anyway, and Shimmerfur asked you to stay silent, after all. Destiny doesn't like your screaming either, actually. It scares her."

At once, any signs of protest died. Most cats looked distinctly uncomfortable now, and Honeypool felt her fur prickle as well. She had sort of gotten used to it by now, but at times it still unnerved her, knowing that Amberkit could hear her every thought.

"Thank you," the red kit meowed simply, before turning back towards his mother. "I know you are worried, but Flintstrike is right. They will look after me. And it is true, the prophecy clearly means me. Honeypool has thought about it quite a lot; surely she'd have found an alternative if there was one."

Honeypool flinched. No. There was no way she would ever get used to this.

"And anyway, I don't mind going," Amberkit continued, a cautious smile appearing on his young face. "With only five other cats it will surely be more quiet than at camp. I can barely sleep at night because there's always someone lying awake and thinking about stuff. It's even worse here. You have no idea how _loud_ you are."

The crowd was utterly silent. Judging by the embarrassment on their faces, many cats would be rather glad to have Amberkit far away. Nobody like the idea of having their most intimate secrets revealed to a kit.

Amberkit sighed. "It doesn't help thinking about _not_ thinking about it. I can still hear you. And I don't even want to know your stupid little secrets, stop screaming them at me."

The silence lengthened. In the end it was Icestar who broke it, nervously pawing the ground beneath him. "I suppose that decides it. Nightfrost, maybe you'd like to return to camp with Amberkit? A cat as young as him shouldn't stay outside for this long."

Nightfrost's bared his teeth at him, her eyes full of contempt. "Oh, but sending him off to some mountains is fine? We haven't heard the last in this. Amberkit, come." The little red tom seemed rather relieved to leave the crowded place, just as many seemed relieved to see him go. "Dewfeather, go with her," Ashstar said into the awkward silence that had descended.

The white she-cat got to her paws and leapt off, and slowly the murmurs returned. "Silence," Shimmerfur snapped. "We still have five cats to go, and if we make such a circus out of all of them, we'll be sitting here till leaf-bare. Next line. _She who dies and dies and yet lives._ "

Honeypool looked at the assembled cats. This verse had given her the most trouble deciphering, and Shimmerfur seemed to realize that as well. "Maybe something easier for now," she meowed quickly. " _She whose wings rule the night_. I think we can all agree that it means Nightcatcher."

Honeypool nodded, and nobody seemed to protest. Except Lionblaze. "What? Are you sure?" he mowed, eyes widening in shock. Nightcatcher rolled her eyes. "See anybody else here who has wings? Calm down, for StarClan's sake."Shimmerfur's whiskers twitched, but apart from that she ignored the short exchange. Lionblaze did not look happy at all but fell silent as well.

" _One who is two and two in one_ ," Shimmerfur continued, frowning. "I must admit I'm not sure about this one."

"But I am!" an excited voice called from the crowd, as Hollypaw hastily pushed past Boldheart. "It means me and Shadepaw! Our minds are connected, so we basically are one. So can we go?" Honeypool crooked her head. The thought had occurred to her as well.

"You can't both go," Icestar was quick to point out. "EarthClan already has one cat on this journey. Three would be against the prophecy." Hollypaw's grin faded. "Oh." She turned back towards her sister uncertainly. "But I don't want to be separated from her."

"I'm not sure this is a good idea either," Ashstar now meowed. "One kit may be acceptable, but two cats this young?" Hollypaw's fur bristled. "We're not kits! We can take care of Amberkit!" Icestar nodded. "She's right," he said to Ashstar with a rather sly smile. "And we don't have anybody else who matches the description."

Ashstar hesitated further, and Honeypool knew the reason. If one of the two apprentices were to go, EarthClan would not have any warriors at all on this journey. The young cats' lives would depend solely on warriors from other Clans. Clearly, Icestar also knew this.

The EarthClan leader turned to Honeypool, looking for aid. "What do you think?" She frowned. She understood his concerns, but they could not afford Clan rivalry at the moment. Not when this much was at stake.

"I think Hollypaw is right. One of them should be part of this mission," she mewed, her eyes firmly fixed to the ground. Boldheart opened his mouth but Echoflight shook her head, silencing him. "They are right," she meowed quietly.

Finally Ashstar nodded. "One of you will go, then," he mewed loudly. Hollypaw beamed, but Shadepaw looked scared rather than happy. Honeypool thought that she could probably guess which of them would go.

"Very touching," Shimmerfur commented dryly. "Alright. _One who hears much and understands all._ Given that we don't really have many cats to choose from, I'd suggest Destiny. She understands where the rest of us only hear noise."

Honeypool nodded but Icestar frowned. "Is it wise, sending a leader? Wouldn't that make the strays rather over-represented?" Ashstar snarled. "For the same reasoning, it would be better for Spiderfur to go in Amberkits stead," he pressed between gritted teeth. "Apparently your sense for balance is rather limited, Icestar."

The white tom snarled at him as well, but Destiny cut them both off. "I am _not_ our leader," she meowed coldly, looking a lot bolder than before. Apparently she had already come to terms with her fate. "I am one of three Thanes, _speakers_ of our group. And once I am gone, my place will simply be given to someone else. As it is every leaf-bare." She nodded towards Shimmerfur. "I agree with you about the wording," she meowed quietly. "And it's not like we have much of a choice. Chase and me are the only Children in our group. We both have to go, whether we're mentioned in that prophecy or not."

There was another silence, during which Ashstar nodded respectfully. The brow-grey tom next to Destiny – Chase, as Honeypool guessed –stepped from one paw to the other uneasily. "Are you sure? I really think we should listen what this prophecy-thingey has to say about it."

A red she-cat with a narrow face who was lazily lying on one of the lower rocks gave a mocking snort. "If a kit has the guts to go, so should you, you big baby." Chase spun around angrily. "I didn't say I wouldn't go," he defended himself quickly. "Just that I don't _insist_. If anybody else wants to go I am prepared to... graciously relinquish my spot."

Splinter sighed. "Chase, we talked about this. You're going, full stop. If only to stop these ridiculous attempts at flirting. It's getting rather annoying." Chase laughed. "You're just worried you'll fall to my charm after all," he grinned with a wink. Splinter opened her mouth to reply something but before any sound could come out another figure stepped between the rocks.

"Don't worry, Chase. You won't have to go; I can avenge myself," the dark red she-cat meowed with a grin. The strays gasped, and Chase wasn't the only one jumping in shock. "Elektra!" he yelped, staring as if he had seen a ghost. "How...?" Honeypool froze. Elektra? Wasn't she one of the cats who had...

" _She who dies and dies and yet lives?_ I think you found her," the red she-cat continued now, still grinning. "May I introduce? Elektra, the _immortal_!"

* * *

Darkpaw stared at the red stray curiously. Immortal? Astounding. Maybe these gifts were quite useful after all. Unlike Windflights ridiculous bouncing or that irritating glowing EarthClan elder Darkpaw could actually imagine a couple of situations were immortality would come in handy. Better than spreading stupid _fog_.

His gaze wandered towards Sorrelpaw. _Of course she's a Child of the Moon. It's always here._ Ever since the Can had taken him in the arrogant apprentice had picked on him. She was always the favourite, apprentice of the deputy, friend of the medicine cat. Acting like she was the smartest and only worthwhile apprentice of ReedClan.

Unable to suppress a growl, he turned away. The gathered cats had calmed down a little by now. "Alright," Shimmerfur meowed slowly, struggling to smooth her fur once more. "That means we have our five. Only thing missing is one ReedClan cat. The one whose description we didn't hear."

All eyes turned towards Windflight and Sorrelpaw. ReedClan only had three Children, and Nightcatcher was already part of the mission. The tabby tom exchanged an uncertain look with Sorrelpaw. His face clearly showed no more enthusiasm for travelling to some snowy mountain of doom than Chase had expressed.

Icestar did not wait for any of them to volunteer. "Sorrelpaw should go," he meowed abruptly. "It might be useful for them to hide from their enemies. And she is old enough; she's almost ready to receive her warrior name."

Sorrelpaw raised her head, looking rather surprised. "Me? But wouldn't Windflight..." Shimmerfur frowned as well. "I'm afraid I have to disagree, Icestar. We already have one kit and one apprentice going; the other cats should be strong enough to protect them. And Windflight's gift is far more useful on this journey. Climbing the mountain won't be easy."

Icestar's gaze flickered towards Lionblaze for a moment, who was sitting in his place with a stony expression and didn't seem to even notice the leader. For a short instance Darkpaw thought he could see anger on Icestar's white face.

But he quickly caught himself, and the mask returned. "What do you think, Sorrelpaw? It could be your first mission as a warrior." he meowed pleasantly, even though the smile on his face didn't reach his blue eyes.

Sorrelpaw stared at her leader, perplexed. "You mean you'll...make me a warrior before I go? But I didn't even do the trials, I..." Icestar flicked his tail dismissively. "I rather think in times like these we can drop those formalities," he purred, still smiling broadly. "And one might regard it as a trial itself, saving all our lives."

Sorrelpaw kept silence, obviously stumped by the sudden urging. Darkpaw felt his face twist in a mask of disgust. Of course. Why didn't he just make her deputy while he was at it?

But before the white apprentice could answer, Windflight stepped in. "I will go," he meowed firmly. "Shimmerfur is right; my gift is better suited. And Sorrelpaw should have the chance to finish her training properly."

Icestar narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased. "What about Whisperpaw," Smokeheart suddenly interjected, her eyes just as cold as her mate's. "What about _her_ training? One should think you would care just as much about your own apprentice's training as that of others."

Windflight flattened his ears, looking rather apologetic. "I am sure Icestar will find a new mentor for her, at least until...until I'm back," he replied without looking up. Smokeheart opened her mouth to protest further, but Icestar flicked his tail to silence her. Apparently he knew when he had lost. "So be it," he growled, not quite managing to hide his anger.

Darkpaw understood his annoyance. Windflight was an experienced warrior. And together with Nigthcatcher they would be losing two strong fighters, in contrast to EarthClan who would only send kits.

There was a short silence before Honeypool spoke once more. "So we have our six chosen ones," she meowed with a cautious smile. "Only thing left to decide is when they will leave. And how." Elektra nodded vigorously. "Exactly. The forest up north is full of the things that attacked Dark and me. Unless they have moved, which I doubt, there's no way we can get past them."

All eyes wandered towards the broken body in the middle of the circle, at loss what to do. "So you will need a distraction," the orange EarthClan warrior that had asked to come earlier meowed finally. "That'd be suicide," Ashstar said incredulously.

But the warrior shook his head. "Not necessarily. If we sneak past them in the west, alongside the Thunderpath, we can surprise them from the north, and draw them further west. That would leave the way clear for the six. Even if those... _monsters_ know about the prophecy, they will assume that we're the chosen ones, and go after us. The real ones will be safe."

"Us?" a black she-cat next to him repeated, who Darkpaw assumed was his mate. "Boldheart, you can't honestly plan to go on this mission!" The orange tom's expression softened somewhat when he looked at her. "Please understand," he meowed quietly, "It's the only chance for Hollypaw to get past them safely. I couldn't bear to lose her as well, not after..." His voice faltered.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and turned back to Ashstar. "If you will allow it, I'd rather like to sink my teeth in a few of their throats," he said grimly. Ashstar was still silent, and exchanged an uncertain look with Flintstrike. The black deputy hesitated. "It sounds like a decent plan," he meowed, "Risky, but it could work. And we cannot afford this mission to fail."

"Well said," Sandwhisker meowed, and to Darkpaw's surprise he rose to his paws. "I shall join you." The grey apprentice stared at his mentor in shock. _Sandwhisker_ volunteered? Usually the old warrior showed as much initiative as a dead hedgehog.

But he also had a strong faith, and apparently took it as his duty to defend StarClan to the best of his abilities. Icestar scrutinized the sandy tom shortly, then shrugged. "If that is what you want. I agree with Flintstrike, this mission has to succeed under any circumstances."

"I'll go as well," a soft voice suddenly chirped up, and a young she-cat stepped forward from amongst the strays. "It's only fair for us to do our part as well." Darkpaw looked the sand-coloured she-cat over. She was barely older than him, aged maybe a year. She was rather slim, and didn't look very strong.

Chase, the coward that had refused to go, seemed to have the same thought. "Laila? Are you mad? That sounds dangerous! And...well, fighting's not exactly your forte, is it?" Laila spun around, baring her fangs at him. "It was enough to throw you into the river, wasn't it?" she hissed angrily. "And anyway, running away I can do very well. We're supposed to distract them, not fight." Chase ducked his head, and after a brief pause Destiny nodded. "You're right. We've got to do our part," she meowed quietly.

A few tail lengths off Darkpaw could hear Sorrelpaw whisper to her friend. "Looks like she-cats are braver than toms. None of our apprentices would dare to do." Whisperpaw let out a short giggle, but Darkpaw barely heard her.

White hot anger overcame him. As if Sorrelpaw would have the courage to go. Instead she'd sent Windflight, that idiot. And anyway, he was ten times as brave as that skinny stray.

"I'll come, too!" The words had left his mouth before he even had time to think.

He gulped as all eyes suddenly were on him. Some incredulous, other bemused. One EarthClan apprentice even laughed, and Darkpaw felt blood shoot to his face. But he didn't back away. "Sandwhisker's my mentor; I should go with him. It might be good practice," he continued, slightly more timid now. "And if they're expecting six cats, four will be more convincing than three."

Icestar, his mouth already open in protest, looked surprised, and Darkpaw was relieved to see doubt and irritation fight on the white face. He could feel Sorrelpaw's eyes on his back, and knew he'd die of mortification if he was refused like some misbehaving kit.

"We can't take apprentices with us," Boldheart growled irritatedly. "We have to be quick and go unnoticed, up until the right moment. He'd just slow us down." Darkpaw made to protest, but to his surprise it was Sandwhisker who came to his defence.

"My apprentice is quite capable of keeping up, Boldheart. I do not think your input is needed to judge his abilities." The coldness of his voice astonished Darkpaw. Sandwhisker almost never got angry, or emotional at all for that matter. But there was a firm resolution in the look he now shot Icestar. "I think Darkpaw is right," he meowed calmly. "If he wants to come, we should allow him."

Icestar hesitated, scrutinizing Darkpaw. The ashy tom felt his fur prickle as the blue eyes seemed to pierce him. Then the leader shrugged. "So be it. If he does well, maybe we will make him a warrior."

Darkpaw felt his heartbeat accelerate. Warrior. The idea of receiving his name - _before_ Sorrelpaw at that – lifted his spirits higher than they'd been in a long while. He grinned at himself, turning to look at Sorrelpaw.

The look the white she-cat was giving him was murderous. Darkpaw grinned harder.

"Then I want to come, too!" a small EarthClan apprentice cried indignantly, "Boldheart's my mentor!" "No," the orange tom said immediately, "You're too young. If Icestar wants to risk his apprentice's life that's his business. But I will not allow it." The apprentice made to protest, but a stern look from her mentor shut her up.

For the first time Darkpaw realized what he had gotten himself into. _You might die._ He swallowed hard, hoping Sorrelpaw would not see the trembling of his paws.

"That settles it," Ashstar meowed once silence had fallen once more, "The only thing left is the question of when." "The sooner the better," Shimmerfur growled at once, "We have to save StarClan before it's too late." Splinter nodded. "Leaf-fall comes early up in the mountains. And we do not know how long this journey will take. If they run into snow on the way back..." Nobody needed to hear the rest of the sentence to know what she meant. The autumn storms up in the mountains could be felt even down here, and the icy cold that came with them was a good indicator of the deathly havoc they caused up there.

"I suggest we leave in two days' time," Boldheart said, "The six can follow one day later, once the way is clear." Nigthcatcher nodded. "I will keep a lookout so we will know when the monsters are gone." "And maybe we should meet once more before that, at least the six who will go," Windflight added. "So Elektra can tell us exactly what it is we're dealing with."

The discussion continued, but Darkpaw was barely listening. His gaze wandered over to the black body in the middle of the circle. The severed blade shone dully in the light of Foxpelt's fur, and the dark crimson spots on it seemed to stare at him like ominous eyes.

Despite his efforts to appear calm, his fur bristled. For a moment even Sorrelpaw's nocking seemed unimportant.

 _Two days. In two days, you might be dead._

He lifted his head, and his eyes met that of the slender stray who had also volunteered. But the encouraging smile she gave him did nothing to drive the cold out of his heart.

Two days.


End file.
